


Look At The Mess We Made

by Aranei



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 13:42:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2654117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aranei/pseuds/Aranei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Merlin Mpreg Fest 2014<br/>Here is the prompt, but I admit I didn't quite follow it.</p>
<p>Prompt: Parent Trap!AU | They had something of a whirlwind romance -- they meet, fall in love, get married. But when Merlin gets pregnant, it made them realize that maybe they're not as compatible as they thought they would be. So after Merlin gives birth to twins, they decided to get divorced and raise one child each. Several years later, their sons (or daughters) accidentally meet and finds out that they have a twin. After an initial dislike with each other, they started to bond and ended up plotting to get their parents back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look At The Mess We Made

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my beta Supernaturalwhoviangame. I can't thank her enough. And also my thanks to Weepingelm who helped without even knowing it.

A year and a half ago if someone had asked Merlin where he saw himself in a year or so, this most certainly wouldn't have been it. But life sometimes gives you the things you didn't even know you needed. He shifted on the delivery chair as he could feel another contraction. “Ok Merlin, push.” Merlin released the breath he had been holding and pushed at the same time he squeezed the hand that he was gripping.

 

Merlin looked down at the boy who stood in front of him. straightening his uniform tie. "You ready?"

“Yeah Da." The boy smiled showing off his perfectly crooked teeth.

"Ms. Collins will meet you after school." Merlin brushed back some of his light brown hair where it curled over the tips of his ears.

"I know Da." The boy stopped just short of rolling his eyes.

Merlin laughed lightly, "Ok. Have a good day, yeah." He leaned down and kissed the boy on the top of his head.

"Da," the boy said tightly looking about to see if anyone saw.

The bell proceeded a bunch of students rushing around them. "You better get going." Merlin laughed and then stood there for a moment watching his son walk into school.

The first day of school, and a new one at that, is always a harrowing experience but the boy decided he was just going to do it, after all this was Year 7 so everyone in his grade was new to this school although most probably knew each other from primary. Remembering his tour from last week he headed into a building and down the hall. He had barely taken ten steps when a rather stern looking man nodded at him and said, "Mr. Pendragon." He opened his mouth to correct the man but he had already moved on. He had no sooner turned around than a mousy brown haired girl waved, "Hi Will." She too was out of range before he could respond. Weird he thought to himself as he headed down the hall to his class.

"Mr. Pendragon, you are in Mr. Alator's class." A tall dark haired woman spoke to him as she kept an eye on hallway traffic.

He looked at up her noting the steely look on her face. "Excuse me ma'am? My name is Drake Emrys." His voice squeaked slightly as he pulled his class info sheet from his pocket and handed it to her.

She looked at the sheet and back at the boy twice before she spoke. "I apologize Mr. Emrys, please go in and find a seat." She handed the sheet back to him.

Drake walked into the classroom. A couple of the kids gave him an odd look but didn't say anything. He found a seat next to a delicate looking girl with long blond hair and blue eyes. She smiled, "Hi, I'm Forridel."

He gave her a smile in return, "Hi, I'm Drake."

The morning passed quickly with the usual kinds of things that happen the first day of school. As he made his way through the cafeteria for dinner he noticed a couple of odd looks here and there but ignored them. He got his food and went to sit with Forridel. Before he could sit down another boy passed him with a "Hey Will." As he sat down at the table Forridel gave him an odd look. Drake shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. It's happened a few times today."

No sooner had he sat down at the table then two other boys plopped down next to them one of whom he recognized from maths. Forridel smiled at them. "Hey Daegel, Hey Gilli."

Gilli lifted his head and jutted out his chin, "Who's the new guy?"

Drake looked at both the boys before speaking, "I'm Drake, Drake Emrys."

A boy with dark brown hair and green eyes gave him a tentative smile, “I’m Daegel and this is Gilli.”

Gilli looked at Drake closely before shoving a bit of food into his mouth. "What?" Drake inquired.

"Nothing, just you look like someone." Gilli said.

"His name wouldn't by chance be Will would it?" Drake asked hoping to solve the mystery.

Gilli turned his head to look around the room and pointed at a table on the far side, "Yeah, Will Pendragon. He's over there with Ewan, Oswald and Ethan."

Drake, Forridel and Daegel looked over to where Gilli pointed. Forridel looked between Drake and Will several times, "I don't know. I can't tell from here."

Daegel looked at Drake, "I wouldn't worry about it."

Drake shrugged and turned his attention to his food. "Whatever." Where the morning had been filled with history and literature with Forridel and maths with Daegel, the afternoon was spent in science, phys ed, study hall and extras without them. Drake didn't think it had been a bad first day so far but that was before science with Mr. Wilson. He had no sooner sat down at a table than the old man ordered everyone to their feet.

Mr. Wilson was an old slightly stooped man with long white hair and eyebrows that seemed to move on their own. He stood in front of the class and stared at everyone until they stood clear of the tables in silence. "When I call your name, you will take a seat at your assigned table. Coulby, Young, table one."

Drake tuned out the names Mr. Wilson was calling and stared around at the class. They were your typical Year 7 class of pimply faced, gangly kids caught between being children and teenagers. One boy in particular caught Drake's interest. In the far corner stood the boy Gilli had pointed out in the cafeteria. He watched him walk toward the center of the room and take a seat at a table. He didn't realize he had been staring until the boy next to him bumped his shoulder.

"Emrys?" Mr. Wilson looked at the assembled boys.

Drake stepped forward, "Sorry sir."

"I hope this isn't an example of your standard classroom performance." Mr. Wilson raised an eyebrow at him.

Drake felt chastised, "No, Sir." He hurried over to the table and sat down. He turned to the boy already seated. "Hi, I'm Drake."

Will looked him up and down. "I can see the similar hair and eye color but beyond that I simply don't."

"Excuse me?" Drake was puzzled.

"I have been told that we look similar." Will spoke as though Drake were a small child.

Drake looked at him with unease. "Well, several people have called me Will today."

Will shot him a look of disdain, "As if."

Drake turned away from Will and whispered under his breath, "Prat."

Will didn't look over as he muttered under his breath, "Idiot."

Drake thought it was bad enough that they had science together but add phys ed and study hall and it was his opinion that the powers that be had it in for him. His only afternoon respite was extras. Drake had art and was thankful that Will was nowhere in sight.

 

Arthur slid his car into the parking for VIP visitors and made sure the parking placard was face up on the dashboard. He grabbed his briefcase and proceeded into the employee entrance using his ID passcard. Albion Citadel Medical Center was a large bustling trauma and medical center rated very highly for the work it did. If he ever needed medical treatment, this was where he wanted to come. Fortunately for him, he was here in his capacity as a solicitor representing the medical center in land acquisition and not as a patient. As soon as he was in the building he slipped into the gents.

Merlin parked his car in employee parking, slipped his lanyard with ID over his neck and grabbed his bag. He walked across the parking lot and entered through the employee entrance using his ID passcard. As he stepped into the building the phone in his pocket rang. He didn't have to look to know who it was, "Hi Drake."

"Hi Da. Just calling to let you know I'm home."

Arthur ran a few fingers through his hair, grabbed his briefcase and was exiting the bathroom when his phone rang. He took a quick look before answering it, "Hi Will."

"Hey Dad, just got home."

Merlin stood in front of the elevators waiting as he spoke on the phone, "Did you have a good day?" "Yeah, it was ok."

Arthur moved slowly to stand in front of elevators and turned his face towards the wall as he spoke, "I trust you had a good day?" "Of course Dad."

Merlin turned his face from the other person waiting towards the window, not wanting to share his conversation, "Just ok?" "Da."

Arthur pressed the up button for the elevator. "Glad to hear it. Get your homework done. I will be there for dinner." "I will." "Love you, see you later." "Me too Dad." The elevator opened and he stepped in.

Merlin laughed lightly, "We can talk over breakfast. Get your homework done. Behave for Ms. Collins." "I will." The elevator opened and he stepped in. "Drake, love you." "Love you too Da."

Arthur caught just a glance of dark hair and pale skin. He grabbed the elevator door and leaned out for a second but saw no one. Thinking it was just his imagination, he leaned back and pressed the button for the fourth floor. He stared ahead at the doors thinking....

_"Hold the lift please." Arthur looked up at the sound of the voice to see a tall, dark haired boy dashing in the direction of the lift. He put his hand on the door holding it open._

_"Thanks." He smiled._

_After he was in the lift Arthur noticed the boy's uniform. "Camelot Academy?"_

_The boy checked that the button he wanted was pressed. "Yes. I am starting sixth form."_

_"A day early aren't you?" Arthur inquired._

_"Who are you?" The boy was suddenly feeling a bit anxious._

_"Oh sorry, I'm Arthur Pendragon. I attend Camelot too, lower sixth this year." He held out his hand._

_The boy took his hand and looked him in the eyes. "I'm Merlin Emrys."_

_Arthur smiled as he looked at Merlin noticing his blue eyes. "That's funny," he chuckled, "Merlin and Arthur."_

_Merlin just shook his head, "Yeah. New student so I have to go a day early for orientation."_

_The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. "It was nice to meet you Merlin. See you at school I hope," Arthur gave him a big smile though he wasn't sure why._

_"Yeah. Sounds good." He returned the smile and gave a little wave as he rushed off._

 

The next few days of school were trying for Drake. At least once a day someone assumed he was Will. It didn't help that they had to wear a uniform that didn't allow for any individuality. The only thing he could think of to do was to style his hair differently. He did his best to make his hair looked longer and curlier without breaking the dress code. He steered clear as much as he could of anyone who hung around with Will. And other than science, it was pretty easy. For phys ed and study hall he just sat or stood as far from Will as possible. Things seemed to be going alright until about 2 weeks into the school term. They were dressed out for phys ed waiting for the teacher when a girl passed Will and said "Hi Drake." Drake had merely smiled as he watched Will sputter and then glare at him.

 

Will stood in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror, comb in one hand, gel in the other. "Oh come on!" He tried to fix a clump of hair that looked buried in a glob of gel.

Arthur appeared in the bathroom door, "Hey, you are going to be late." He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched his son wrestle with his hair.

Will grunted in frustration as he tried with a comb and then his fingers, "I can't fix it."

Arthur wiped the grin from his face and tried his best to look neutral. "Let me help." He grabbed a towel and rubbed the spot. "So what's her name?"

Will looked at him in the mirror and said defensively, "There's no her."

"Ok, ok." Arthur took the comb and pulled the hair in the general direction he already had all the other hair pulled. "How's that?" As he watched his son check himself in the mirror he couldn't help but wonder if there was no her that perhaps there was a him.

Will smiled, "Looks good. Thanks Dad."

 

Will set out to make certain no one confused him with Drake again. He made sure his hair looked significantly different from Drake's long curls with a gelled swept up look. He tried to carry himself with a bit more confidence and swagger. He was a Pendragon after all and he was going to make sure everyone knew it.

Will and his crew, at his direction, set about a plan. They weren't stupid enough to actually attempt to bully Drake. That would garner the kind of attention that involved parents. No, this plan required a bit more than slapping books out of another's hands or pushing them into lockers. Everywhere that Will and Drake were required to be in the same place his friends were going to slow Drake down allowing Will to enter first. Make certain that people addressed Will. It involved lots of dropping books in the halls, stopping to tie shoes or just generally walking slow. This worked well for about a week.

Ethan, Oswald, Ewan and Will were heading from the cafeteria using their four man gambit. Drake, Gilli, Daegel and Forridel made a quick sweep to the other doors and came out in the hallway ahead of them. As the two groups approached each other they were surrounded by other kids exiting the cafeteria though very few were paying attention.

Drake was first, telling the others bye and heading up the hall ahead of Will. Daegel was second. He did a good job of tripping and dropping his books in the hall. Forridel coming over to help 'slipped' on one of Daegel's folders sending her books flying too. Gilli, of course, had to stop to help. And so did Will as he secretly liked Forridel.

After that their tactics just seemed stupid as they had been called out.

From there things only seemed to get worse as far as Will was concerned. It felt as though Drake had somehow become his cross to bear. Despite his attempts to block the other boy at every turn, Drake seemed to slip through. It was only three weeks into the school year and he had a group of friends and a passing popularity with the other kids in Year 7 that rivaled Will's, especially the girls. He wasn’t jealous, of course. He simply wanted to maintain his standing. With this in mind Will decided that he would just simply outdo Drake everywhere they were together. In science he would know all the answers, in phys ed he would out jump, out run, simply out do and in study hall he would find a way to take the mickey out of him.

The only problem with trying to outdo someone is that it is a lot of work. Drake wasn’t a science genius but he was good. And while Will was a talented footie player, Drake was no slouch in phys ed so most days by the time they reached study hall Will was too tired to do more than sit and actually study.

 

Four weeks into the new school term on a Monday night was parent's evening for Years 7, 8 and 9. The floors were polished to a high shine. Classroom's were neat and tidy. The halls were lined with all kinds of banners and art. And the teachers were ready for the onslaught.

To avoid dealing with the parking, Arthur decided to have Geoffrey drop them off a block from the school. As the car made the short six block drive Arthur took the moment to really look at Will. He had gotten taller here of late and while starting to show a muscular side it was clear he was a bit more wiry than Arthur. His hair was starting to darken and his face lengthen showing more of his cheekbones. It didn’t matter if Arthur wanted to deny it, the truth was that Will was looking less and less like him and more like …. He didn’t even want to think about… It might have been 11 years but on some level it still hurt and lately he had been thinking, wondering. Geoffrey’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Sir, we’re here.” Geoffrey simply looked at Arthur curiously. Arthur stared at him for just a second. Geoffrey, of course, knew everything, the whole sordid affair and if he had an opinion, he had kept it to himself. He had hired Geoffrey and his wife, Alice, away from Uther when Will was a toddler, when he had decided to leave. They had been exactly what he needed. They had taken care of his son and his house and him. He considered for a moment what advice he might have offered, could still offer.  
Arthur finally moved, "Thank you Geoffrey, we will just walk home when we are ready to leave." He climbed out of the car and shut the door.

 

Merlin pulled into his drive, bounded out of his car and into the house, "Hello!"

Ms. Collins greeted him, cheerful as usual. "Dr. Emrys, good evening. Drake should be getting his shoes on."

"Good, we should get going. Don't want to be late." He smiled at her not sure what to make of her. She was a nice enough lady if a bit odd but did her job well. He couldn't shake the feeling though that she hoped for something more. If that was true she was in for a disappointment.

Drake made his way into the downstairs hall. "I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Me not come?" Merlin feigned disbelief. "I'm wounded."

"Da." Drake rolled his eyes.

"Come on, it's only three blocks. I think we can huff it." He headed for the door.

Drake stepped through the door. "Four blocks and yeah, ok."

As he went to pull the door shut Merlin looked back at Ms. Collins. "Enjoy your evening." She nodded, "Thank you."

They set off down the block at an easy pace. He was rarely home at this time of day and was happy to see several sat on their porches or out walking their dogs. He had chosen this neighborhood for its quiet easy feel and all the trees.

"So do I need to worry about anything your teacher's are going to say?" Merlin teased.

Drake looked defensive, "No. Well, I don’t think Mrs. Tregor likes me.” He shook his head and crinkled his nose.

“So what have you done to make her dislike you? tardy a lot, talking, spitballs, passing notes?” Merlin gave him a questioning look as they walked.

Drake thought about last week when he had been late, was fussed at for asking Forridel what he had missed and then was caught passing a note between Forridel and Ruby. “Uhh.”

Merlin merely chuckled, “That’s what I thought.”

Arthur and Will walked down the hallway to Mr. Alator’s room where he said the usual kind of things teachers do. “He’s one of my best students. Needs to apply himself a little more.” They moved on through Mrs. Tregor’s english class, Mr. Hopper’s phys ed and Mr. George’s maths class with much the same things said. Arthur wasn’t surprised as Will was always a good student. Although Arthur had to admit that Mr. George might possibly one of those life-like robots.  
As they passed through the halls Arthur also noticed the number of girls who at least smiled and waved at Will and the couple of them that even said hi. He leaned over and whispered, “So which one do you like?”

“Dad!” Will blushed about three shades of red.

 

Merlin and Drake started at Mrs. Tregor’s English class and Merlin could confirm that she didn’t seem to like Drake all that much. But her demeanor was pretty sour so he was fairly certain she didn’t like anyone much. They then went through Mr. Alator’s history, and Mr. George’s math, all saying that Drake was an excellent student but that he needed to apply himself more. Merlin smirked at Drake as he said, “They always say that. Don’t worry. So who is next?”

“Science, Mr. Wilson.” Drake informed.

Merlin smiled, “I had a Mr. Wilson for science in sixth form, looked like he was Moses’ older brother. A cousin of your grandmother’s actually.”

Drake gave him a surprised look. “I think it might be the same guy.”

 

“Merlin my boy.” Mr. Wilson gave him a little hug.

“Gaius, it’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were teaching here.”  
Merlin hugged him back.

“I thought it would be easier to teach the lower grades now that I’m old.” Gaius smiled at him. “So, how’s your mother?”

“Fine. She got remarried. His name is Tom.” Merlin said.

“So I had heard. And Dragoon?” Gaius asked as he sat down and gestured for Merlin to take a seat.

“Still terrorizing the village,” Merlin smirked.

Gaius chuckled. “Well Emma and I are going to visit them over term break.”

“I know they will be happy to see you.” Merlin remarked.

“Now, as for this young man.” Gaius turned his eyes to Drake.

 

Arthur waited in the hall looking at the various pieces of art on display while Will made a quick trip to the loo. Most were your typical drawings of bowls of fruit, an animal or some pastoral scene. There was one however, that stood out. It was of a green scaled dragon perched on the ground appearing to talk to a man. He stared at the picture for a few moments noticing the initials of the artist in the lower right hand corner. DBE. His thoughts drifted to another with an E as part of his initials.

_Arthur had arrived at maths about 30 minutes early. The teacher allowed her students to use her room as a quiet respite before class and he certainly needed it today. Although he had expected the room to be empty he wasn’t really surprised to see Merlin sitting at one of the tables. He wasn’t sure what to make of Merlin. He seemed nice enough but a bit shy, at least with him. He seemed to get on well with the girls though Arthur suspected that was in part because he was tall and handsome with raven hair and blue eyes. His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut glass and more than made up for his large ears. Not to mention the constant smile he seemed to have on his face. Arthur tried to be quiet as he walked over and put his backpack on the table where he usually sat, directly behind Merlin. From there he could clearly see what Merlin was working on and it wasn’t maths. “That’s really cool.” The words were out of his mouth before he thought._

_Merlin looked up at him with a big grin on his face. “Thanks.” He moved aside so that Arthur could see more of the drawing. “This is only a preliminary drawing. Let’s me work out the details without having to be too careful.”_

_Arthur was amazed at the work, a large flying dragon swooping down to spit fire. “If that’s the preliminary I can’t wait to see what the final piece looks like. You are really talented. I personally can only draw stick people.”_

_Merlin looked down and blushed slightly before looking back up at Arthur through dark lashes. “Thanks. It will be a few weeks though.” He couldn’t help but notice Arthur’s crown of golden blonde hair, his light blue eyes, his tan skin from hours spent in the sun. If Arthur had been a god he would surely have worshipped at his feet._

_Arthur couldn’t help but notice the blush on his cheeks or the way his blue eyes sparkled beneath his dark lashes. “So why aren’t you doing graphic arts or design?”_

_Merlin started to put his pencils in their case. “I’m going to be a doctor, but this is my back up plan in case I don’t get accepted. What about you?”_

_“Solicitor.” Arthur said with the enthusiasm one might show a bowl of oatmeal. “My dad’s idea as he’s a barrister.”_

_“What would you rather do?” Merlin looked him curiously._

_“Well, once my pro footie career was over I would be a writer.” He said with a big grin on his face. “Another J.K. Rowling.”_

_“Have you written anything?” Merlin looked at him with a sly grin._

_Arthur blushed slightly. “A couple of short stories and other scribblings about knights and sorcerers.”_

_“I would love to read them.” Merlin looked at him with sincerity._

Will exited the loo and nearly walked into someone, “Ohhh sorry,” He said as he looked up. A big grin crossed his face as he realized who it was. “Hi Sophia.”

Sophia returned his smile, “Hi Will.”

Will blushed as the man standing with her glared at him. “Come Sophia.”

“Yes papa.” She gave him a little wave as her father led her off down the hall. “See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Will waved and continued to watch her walk away. Again not looking where he was going. he turned around to run into another person. The word “sorry” slipped out of his mouth before he saw who it was.

Drake pushed Will off his foot. “Prat, watch where you are going.”

“Maybe You should pay more attention idiot.” Will pushed him back before he stalked off down the hall back towards his father.

Merlin, who had been speaking to Mr. Garrah, but had heard the entire exchange turned around in hopes of catching a glimpse of the boy Drake called prat. All he saw was the back of the boy walking away. He couldn’t help but notice the way he swaggered down the hall towards a tall blonde haired man.

_Merlin felt a bit brain dead after he had finished his human biology class. He would have headed straight home except that he had to meet with his chemistry teacher, Mr. Wilson, in 45 minutes. Not really enough time to do anything but get a breath of fresh air. He spotted the footie team practicing on the field and immediately found his eye drawn to Arthur. It wasn’t enough that Arthur was a tall, blonde hair, blue eyed adonis but he was kind and funny when he wasn’t with his footie friends. Here he had swagger. He walked with it, talked with it, oozed it. And Merlin couldn’t deny that he found it attractive as did the the girls who sat on the sidelines watching. There was only one problem with swagger, swagger was a prat._

_As Merlin watched the practice wrap up he looked at his watch. He had plenty of time to catch a word with Arthur before taking off. As he waited a few other members of the team noticed him first, year 11 boys who were both quite a bit bigger than him. The biggest of the them, Valiant, spoke first, “What you doing here Emrys, trying to scare the girls?”_

_Merlin recognized one of the others as Cenred. He laughed, “Good one Val.” He turned to the third boy, “Jarl, what do you think we should do about this?”_

_The third boy, Jarl, leaned in close, “I think maybe Emrys here is scared of the girls.”_

_“Please don’t touch me. I don’t want to catch stupid.” Merlin quipped hoping to defuse things with humor. He looked out at the other players, specifically eyeing Arthur, hoping for some kind of defense._

_Arthur popped up beside Jarl. “I wouldn’t touch him Jarl. You might catch nerd.” The others laughed as Jarl sneered at Merlin but began to move away._

_Merlin glared at Arthur but said nothing in return. He merely stalked off to the sounds of laughter, looking back once to see Arthur watching him before he went off with his team._

Merlin stared for a moment but too many people were in the hall blocking his view.

Drake looked up at Merlin. “Da?”

Merlin looked down at Drake as the memory faded. “Hmm. Oh yeah, how many more?”

Drake smiled, “Just Mr. Hopper and Mr. Alvarr.”

 

“Dad?” Will pushed at his arm. “Dad? Mr. Wilson is waiting.”

Arthur looked over at him, “Of course.” He put a smile on his face and walked over to the room where the older white haired science teacher sat at a table. Arthur did a double take as he recognized the old man.

“Arthur, it’s nice to see you again.” Mr. Wilson stood to shake his hand.

“Mr. Wilson, it’s good to see you too sir.” Arthur shook the old man’s hand. “Will, Mr. Wilson was my physical science and chemistry teacher when I attended Camelot.” He looked between his son and the teacher.

Will gave Arthur a smirk, “So do you have any good stories about my dad?”

Mr. Wilson smirked right back at Will, “No more so than I have about you.”

Will blushed slightly as he remembered Mr. Wilson telling him to keep his eyes on his work as he had stepped into his line of sight of Sophia. “Well, it’s been a bit of an old student night though I really was surprised to see that one former student was now a grandparent.”

Arthur smiled, “You haven't aged a day since I was a student."

Mr. Wilson raised an eyebrow at him, “Oh please, I have looked like Moses was my younger brother for more years than I can count. Now, as for William.”

Arthur got down to business. “I wanted to inquire about his lab partner.”

Gaius nodded. “They work well together when they aren’t snipping at each other.”

 

Will was thinking of how Drake had spoken to him last night as he walked down the hall to Mr. Wilson’s room. Despite what Mr. Wilson said to his father about learning to get along, Will decided he was going to set Drake in his place. As he entered the room and looked over to the table he shared with Drake a scowl formed on his face. The girl he had spent the last month slowly chatting up till he had enough to ask her out was stood talking to Drake. The way she leaned against the table toward him made his breath catch in his chest. It made everything feel tight and tense. He quickly made his way over. “Sophia.”

Sophia turned her green eyes on him and it seemed for a moment that the world was turned upside down. That tight feeling remained but for different reasons. ”Hi Will. I was just talking to your cute friend here.”

Will’s face flushed a little pink as he looked at her. Sophia’s uniform shirt was a slight bit tight across her chest and he couldn’t help but notice. “He’s not my friend.”

“Oh well.” She looked between the two of them for a second as if she were trying to decide something before turning all her attention to Will. “I was wondering if you wanted to come over Friday. My papa said I could have a few friends over to watch movies and have some pizza.”

“Sounds good. I definitely want to come.” He gave her what he felt was his most confident smile but it came out as sort of a grimace. The last person he wanted to be doing this in front of was Drake but he had no choice.

She flashed him an odd smile. “Give me your phone.” Will fished in his pocket for a moment before producing his phone. He simply stared as Sophia took it, entered her number and gave it back. “Call me tonight and I will tell you the deets.” She smiled at him and then turned to Drake and waved before she walked away.

Will saw red as jealousy surged through him. Sophia was his and he was not going to let Drake steal her. He felt this sudden need to challenge the other boy. “Why were you talking to her?” He half whispered through gritted teeth.

Drake gave him a dismissive look, “She was the one who came up to me.”

Will moved around the table and set his stuff down. He stepped closer to Drake trying to be intimidating. “You stay away from her.”

Drake rolled his eyes and looked away. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Will and his ego. "Whatever."

Will stepped closer to him so that there was only a scant few inches separating them. His voice was harsh and laced with threat. “I mean it.”

Drake let the annoyance and hostility he felt come through in his voice as he stood up. He was tired of Will and his ongoing plans or whatever that involved putting him down in some way. “Or what?”

Will leaned forward a little so that his chest pushed against Drake's, “I will do something about it.”

“Get away from me you posh wanker.” Drake shoved Will back a bit.

“Make me.” Will poked Drake in the chest.

“I don’t have to listen to you.” Drake slapped his hand away and stared at him defiantly.

Will tightened his jaw, took a deep breath and lunged at Drake. Drake reached out to grab at Will as he fell banging his cheek just below his eye on the corner of the table. Both boys hit the floor, each grabbing at the other, pulling at the others' clothes, slapping, pinching, rolling around on the floor trying to shove and hit the other, knocking aside chairs and tables.

It was just by luck that Mr. Hopper, the phys ed teacher, was walking Mr. Wilson to his classroom. They noticed a circle of students, heard a bit of yelling and scuffling and moved quickly through the crowd. Mr. Wilson yelled, “Boys! Boys! Get off the floor now!” Mr. Hopper didn't waste his breath reaching down to pull both boys to their feet.

 

Arthur pulled his car into the school parking lot, got out and marched toward the front office. He recalled the last time he had been called to a head master's office, fighting with Valiant in lower sixth form when he was 16. That had been 15 years ago and he could still remember the anger in his father's voice, how he hadn't asked if he was ok or why.

_Arthur sat in the one of the wooden chairs that lined the wall along the back office. Valiant sat three chairs away, holding an ice pack to his eye but otherwise completely ignoring him. There were several posters on the wall, mostly about First Aid, the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR. Across from where he sat was the nurse’s office. Inside he could see Merlin sat on a padded table as Mrs. Phillips treated his split lip and bruised face where he had been shoved into his locker. His clothing was askew, the pocket on his blazer torn and his hair was all over the place. But when he looked up at Arthur and smiled, Arthur saw none of that. He only saw the dark blue eyes, the sharp cheekbones, perfect bow lips in a pale face topped with raven hair. As far as Arthur was concerned he was beautiful. His father had to understand that he was only defending Merlin._

_His voice was quiet in that way that put a chill down Arthur’s spine. He recognized that angry tone, the one that meant business. That he wasn’t going to listen; that Arthur could have been saving a flaming school bus of children while helping a little old lady cross the street. It didn’t matter as he had brought shame to himself and his father. “Arthur.” His face showed absolutely no emotion except in the eyes._

_“Father.” Arthur swallowed hard as he looked up. He had a sudden tight feeling in his stomach as he watched his father glance at Valiant and then over toward the nurse’s office to see Merlin. He knew full well that the only reason his father tolerated Merlin was his exceptional grades. “I can explain.”_

_“I do not want to hear your excuses. This type of ..common behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Do you understand?” Uther looked at Arthur as though his gaze could burn holes in the boy._

_Arthur knew there was no point in arguing. What he did know was that despite his father’s disapproval and whatever punishment he was going to dole out, he would do it again, for Merlin. “Yes Father.”_

Arthur took a deep breath as the memory slid away. He had decided long ago not to be his father, not to assume, not to let pride go before his own son. He knew deep in his heart that sometimes there were good reasons to misbehave. Armed with that perspective he walked into the office.

An older looking woman with a pinched face greeted him and showed him to a small room where Will sat with a sullen look on his face. Arthur noticed that his clothes were a bit askew and a bit dirty, a torn pocket, and his hair was a bit of a mess, but other than that he looked ok. "Will?"

Will didn't look up as he let guilt and shame flow through him. He knew he had screwed up. "Hi Dad."

Arthur took a breath and huffed, "Are you ok?"

Will shook his head as Arthur sat down next to him. "So what happened?"

"My idiot lab partner was talking to her and then we were yelling at each other and then we were on the floor and..." Will was clearly worked up and possibly would have rambled for some time if Arthur hadn't cut him off. "What's her name?"

Will kept his eyes on his feet. He had the tight feeling in his gut again. "Sophia."

Arthur was just about to say something when the door opened and the pinched faced secretary told them that Mr. Garrah would see them now. It was a short walk to the head master's office where Arthur shook his hand. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.

"Indeed Mr. Pendragon. Please have a seat." Mr. Garrah gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

 

Merlin pulled into the school parking lot, found an empty spot and practically raced to the office. He was going to be late for his shift in the A&E but there was nothing he could do about it now. A pinched faced older woman showed him to a small room where Drake sat in a chair with an ice pack on his cheek. He took in the ruffled hair, shirt half tucked and dirty clothes and sighed. "Let me see."

Drake looked up at Merlin, shame clearly written all over his face, "I'm sorry Da."

Merlin took the ice pack from him and examined his face, "So you want to tell me what happened?"

Drake tried not to flinch as Merlin prodded his face. His anger of the whole incident was clear in his voice. "The big prat got mad cause this girl he likes was talking to me before he got there and as soon as she walked away he started yelling so I called him a posh wanker and we were shoving each other and I hit my face on the table and then we were on the floor."

If Merlin had any doubt that the boy in front of him was his son it was washed away with the words prat and posh wanker. He did his best to keep a straight face, "So what's her name?"

Drake looked back down at the floor. "Sophia. I don't even like her," his voice was sullen.

Merlin patted him on the shoulder as he got out his phone to make a quick call. "I just need to call the hospital real quick. Let them know I am going to be late."

Drake looked again at Merlin, “I really am sorry Da.”

 

"You, of course, understand Mr. Pendragon that we can't allow this to go unpunished especially when there is physical injury." Mr. Garrah spoke with a gravelly voice that made him think of someone who had smoked for a thousand years.

Arthur sat up, suddenly more concerned, "Was the other boy seriously injured?"

Mr. Garrah sat at his desk in such a way that it implied he was judging all who entered his domain. "Fortunately he was not. Now, as to the matter of punishment. Both boys are to be suspended for the rest of today and tomorrow. They will need to complete a one page double spaced typed essay regarding their behavior. Upon their return to school they will both issue a public apology to Mr. Wilson on Thursday morning at assembly."

Arthur pushed aside the intimidating feeling of being in the head master's office and looked over at Will. It was clear from the way the boy sat in the chair that he knew the trouble he was in. "I think that is more than acceptable Mr. Garrah. William?"

Will would have given anything to be somewhere else, "Yes Sir. I agree."

Arthur adjusted his suit coat as he exited Mr. Garrah’s office. He stood in the middle of the main office trying to decide his best course of action as he waited for Will to get his backpack. He would wait till they were alone before he would speak his mind to Will. He could already see the worry on the boy’s face. This mess was, after all, his fault but Arthur did his best to remember being young and impulsive. As soon as Will had his things they filed out of the office quietly.

As soon as the Pendragons were heading out the door the secretary headed for the room where Merlin and Drake were waiting. As they stepped into the main office Merlin looked at the closing door where he could see a tall blond man escorting a boy, no doubt the other child. His breath hitched for a second but he dismissed it as he turned to head toward Mr. Garrah’s office.

 

Will pulled Ewan and Ethan into his bedroom and looked at them seriously, "You guys have to help me get Sophia’s number off my phone."

Ewan turned to look about his room, "I thought your Dad took your phone."

Will smirked, "He did and he grounded me through the weekend and the only reason you are here is because of prior arrangements with your mums but I think I know where he hid it and I can't get it without your help."

"I don't know Will. Last time we got caught was bad." Ethan fiddled with a model on his bookcase.

"I won't be as stupid as last time. This time I am just gonna get Sophia's number and put it back." Will informed.

Ewan gave him an uncertain look. "Mr. Geoffrey is.."

"Old and half deaf and Ms. Alice isn't here. Come on. I am only going to get the number and then put it back." Will pushed. "I just need a look out."

Ewan bit his bottom lip and huffed, "Fine."

"Ethan, come on. I just need a few minutes to search my dad's desk." Will pushed again.

Ethan looked back and forth between the other two before nodding. "Ok, but if we get caught I am gonna kill you."

Will smiled, "No worries and no killing."

The boys did their best to casually walk down the stairs and into the front hall that led to Arthur's study. The door was cracked slightly. Will pushed it open and stuck his head in. He had a story ready if he found Geoffrey cleaning but luck was with him. "Come on." he gestured them inside.

All three boys quickly scuttled into the room and Will closed the door so that it was barely open. "Ethan, you watch the door. Ewan, keep an eye on the window," Will whispered as he hustled over to the desk. As quietly as possible he began opening each drawer. Most were filled with files of paperwork that Will didn't understand or care about. He looked carefully in each drawer until he got to the one that was locked. He hopped up and headed across the room.

Ewan turned and whispered to him, "What are you doing?"

Will waved him off. "Getting the key," he whispered. He reached behind a shield hung on the wall and pulled out a small key. He hurried back to the desk and unlocked the bottom drawer. "Jackpot." As he picked up the phone he noticed part of a photo that was underneath a folder. He picked it up and stared.

Ethan looked up from his post at the door. "Come on Will, hurry up."

Will didn't respond. He just stared at the photo of his dad kissing another man, their arms around each other. Ewan moved away from the window, "What's wrong Will?"

"This picture.." His voice trailed off. Ewan moved around the desk and looked at the picture. "Uhh."

Ethan moved away from the door to see what they were looking at. Looking over Will's shoulder, "I've seen that guy somewhere recently."

Ewan finally seemed to get his voice back, "I didn't know your dad was gay."

Will hissed, "He's not. I mean, he's sort of been dating Elena I think." He continued to stare at the picture as the others returned to their lookouts.

"Then how do you explain the picture?" Ewan pushed.

"I don't." Will stood there stunned. His Dad had been seeing Elena and he always called what they did dates but he suddenly couldn’t recall him ever doing more than giving Elena a hug. They never held hands or kissed.

Ewan whispered from his place by the window. “Your Dad is pulling into the garage.”

“Shit.” Will slipped the photo into his pants, put the phone back in the drawer, locked it and slipped the key back behind the shield. The three boys took off out the door, down the hall and up the stairs as quietly as they could and slipped back into Will's room. They immediately took to laying about the room trying to look innocent as the door opened.

Arthur looked about the room. Everything looked too quiet. He had been young once and knew they were up to something but what was he going to do about it unless he caught them red handed. “Ewan, I received a call from your mother. She is home now. You and Ethan can head over there now.”

Ewan and Ethan both answered at the same time, “Yes sir, Mr. Pendragon.” Both boys moved to pick up their stuff saying their goodbyes and heading out the door.

Arthur watched them leave then turned his attention to Will. “Did you finish your essay?”

Will didn’t look at him but kept his eyes on a poster to the left of his head. “Yes.”

“I want to see it after supper.”

“Ok.”

Arthur sighed for a moment knowing he wouldn’t get any more out of the boy. “Supper will be in an hour.” When no other response was forthcoming he shut the door and headed down the hallway to his room.

Will waited a minute after the door was closed to remove the picture he had stuffed down his pants. He spent a long time simply staring at the image of his father and this other man. There was something about him, this other man, he couldn’t put his finger on. The thing that struck him most though was how young and happy they looked.

 

Will had slept fitfully and awoke early Thursday morning. He hid the picture in his desk in a bottom drawer underneath a couple of old notebooks. He dressed quickly and made his way to the kitchen. Ms. Alice already had breakfast ready. He raced through it barely giving his Dad time to say hi and bye before he was racing out the door with an excuse that he needed to be at school a few minutes early.

Will hardly paid attention as he walked the 6 blocks to school. He couldn't get the image of his father and that man in the picture out his head. It was clear that they were more than friends. He tried hard to remember if he had ever seen this man before but couldn't ever recall having seen him. Did this mean his dad was gay? He had never seen his dad with a guy but he had never really seen him with a girl except Elena. His dad spent a lot of time with Elena. Just because he never noticed them kissing didn't mean they didn't. Before he knew it he was at school without remembering how he got there. He stood for a few moments watching the cars in the drop off lane when he spotted Drake getting out of a blue SUV. He scowled for a moment before looking at the driver. Will's breath caught in his throat and he stepped behind a pillar to avoid being seen. There was no way. It couldn't be.

The day passed in a haze not certain what he should believe. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he actually apologized to Drake for Drake's spilling of their water/soap surface tension experiment all over his blazer. When he got home he raced to his room, locked the door and pulled out the picture. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Again, that night he slept fitfully, raced through breakfast the next morning and rushed off to school. He waited in the drop off area hiding behind a pillar as he waited for that car again, for Drake. This time though, he had the picture in hand and as he looked between both he just wasn't sure. But there was one way to find out.

Will had tried anxiously all day to get Drake alone somewhere because this certainly wasn't something he wanted to do in public. Lunch would attract too much attention, science wasn't private enough and phys ed simply didn't allow for it. That left study hall. Not that he was paying attention but Drake was one of the few students who would sit by himself in a secluded area and actually work.

Will waited until Drake was seated at one of the tables and had a few of his things out. He didn't want to give him the opportunity to easily slip away. He moved quickly across the room before the boy could notice and dropped into the chair next to him.

Drake looked up at Will curiously. "What do you want?"

Will said nothing as he reached into his backpack and pulled out the picture. He put it down on the table and looked at Drake not saying a thing.

"Ok." Drake rolled his eyes and looked down the picture. He stared at it for a moment before looking at Will. "Where did you get this?"

"I want to know who that man is?" Will pointed to dark haired man.

Drake stared at the photo again. His Da in the arms of this man, kissing him. He honestly didn't know what to think, had no idea what to say. And what in god's name was Will doing with it.

"So who is he?" Will pushed.

Drake felt a sudden urge to protect his Da. "How should I know?"

Will leaned close and whispered, "Because I saw you get out of his car this morning."

Drake looked between Will and the picture for a moment before he said, "Not until you tell me who the other guy is."

Will stared at Drake for a moment. In his quest to find out who the man was it hadn't occurred to him that Drake would want to know the name of the blond in the picture. It seemed like hours passed as he stared but he had to know. Will stared down at the table as his guts seemed to roll. He took a deep breath and looked back up at Drake. His voice was barely above a whisper. "It's my dad."

Drake felt his breath catch in his throat. It couldn't be, what he was thinking. It wasn't possible. He suddenly felt nauseous. He desperately wished for a hole in the floor to swallow him up, a fire drill, hell he would take a horde of barbarians right now. Will looked at him fiercely. "I told you now you have to tell me."

He considered for a moment just running. If he didn't say anything then it wouldn't be true but before he could think any further Drake spoke. "It's my Da."

Will and Drake stared at each other for a few moments as things seemed to click into place. They were the same height, had the same hair color, the same eye color and though both of them refused to see it many others still confused them on a regular enough basis. Will spoke first, "April 24th." Drake simply nodded.

"Well I intend to get to the truth of this." Will was clearly angry. “And you aren’t going to tell anyone. Got it?”

Drake glared at him and hissed, “Yeah, I won't tell. In case you hadn't noticed we are in the same boat.”

Will ignored what Drake said about being in the same boat. "Can you get your birth record? And not the short form but the long form. I couldn’t find mine when I searched my dad’s desk last night.”

Drake's heart seemed to skitter about his chest. "I don't know. “ Suddenly the truth seemed a terrifying thing and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his dad. "There has to be another explanation."

"Like what?" Will sounded like he wanted Drake to have all the answers tied up in a neat bow.

Drake sounded a bit like he was going to cry any moment but he held back. He wasn't going to give Will any more ammunition. "Maybe we are both adopted."

Will narrowed his eyes at Drake, "Yeah, could be. But that doesn't explain the picture."

 

Friday night was a standing date with his friends, to order pizza, watch movies or play games, just hang out. Drake had begged off claiming he didn't feel well. Thanks to Will he spent his Friday night tense and worried but not for the reasons Will would have thought. Lately he had felt different and uncertain and that picture had spoke volumes to him in ways he couldn’t explain. He liked Forridel and Sefa and his other friends who were girls but they weren’t who excited him and if he were to be honest he was a bit scared, terrified even that someone would figure it out, call him out. He laid awake that night finally drifting off in the early morning when he heard his dad come in, somehow feeling better knowing he was home.

The next morning found Drake up early despite his lack of sleep. He laid in bed as he heard his dad get up and head downstairs. He had made his decision, he just had to have enough guts to follow through.

Drake shuffled his feet a bit as he stepped into the kitchen. He got a glass of water, sat down at the island and watched Merlin making breakfast for a few moments. He bit his bottom lip and furrowed his brow as he worked up the courage to ask his question.

Merlin had watched his son shuffle in and sit there for a few moments knowing that something was up by the look on his face. "What's up kiddo?" Merlin smiled as he stirred a pot on the stove.

Drake blushed slightly as he found his voice. "Da, can I ask you something?"

Merlin fought back the urge to focus all his attention on his son knowing by the way he spoke, the look on his face, that this was important. "Yeah, anything. You know that?"

"Are you uhh well..?' Drake turned somewhat scarlet. A bit of guilt rolled through him as he thought about the picture but he just couldn't ask about that, not yet.

Merlin felt a tightening in his gut wondering what could be so hard to ask. "Am I what?"

Drake tensed all over and his voice dropped to a whisper, "Gay?"

The smile slid off Merlin's face as he concentrated on the pot in front of him. He didn't know where this was coming from but he definitely didn't want to mess it up. He took a deep breath before he looked over at Drake and spoke. "I don’t think of myself that way. What makes you ask?"

Drake relaxed a little, "So if you aren't gay then you are straight?"

Merlin set the pot aside, moved to the kitchen island and turned all his attention to Drake. "Drake are you trying to tell me something?

Drake stared down at the island, "You didn't answer my question."

Merlin looked at Drake with concern and intent as he took a deep breath. This was one of those make or break moments and all he could do was hope he got it right. "Ok. I promised myself a long time ago that I would be honest with you. It is only fair to you."

Drake's nerves were suddenly getting the best of him, "If you are too embarrassed..."

Merlin took a deep breath and reached out to take Drake's chin to get him to look at him, "I am a little embarrassed but I will endure that for you." He let go of Drake's chin and licked his lips before continuing. "I am attracted to both men and women but primarily men. You could say I am gay but really I'm bi. Does that bother you?"

Drake looked at his dad with love and sincerity, "No." Somehow in that moment he knew that he could tell his Dad his own truth and everything would ok, maybe better than ok.

Merlin bent down a little so he was looking Drake in the eye, "So why all the questions? Are you having doubts?"

Drake took a shaky breath as he looked at his dad. Some of his fears fell away in that moment. If his dad could be honest with him about this then he could be honest too. “Yes.”

 

After Friday's revelations Will felt more confused and angry. He had somehow gotten the idea in his head that if he knew who the man was the mystery would be solved. Instead it only brought more questions and one in particular to which he had to know the answer. There was no way he was just going to ask his father. If he had lied this long there was no reason for him to start telling the truth now. It was just his unfortunate luck that they were spending the weekend in London at his grandfather’s house, a weekend of playing second string to his creepy cousin Mordred and suddenly that made sense. His Grandfather had always tolerated him, never quite finding fault but never offering the affection he clearly had for Mordred, the product of what his Grandfather would consider a proper relationship. Will was more than well aware of Uther Pendragon’s view of what was proper having listened to him lecture about what was wrong with every person who didn’t fit into his ideal. For the first time he understood perfectly why his father had moved more than 2 hours away. They left on Friday night and by the time they returned late on Sunday Will was in such a snit his father sent him to his room.

Despite his mood, the lack of sleep over the last few days finally caught up with him. Will slept soundly that night foiling his plan to sneak into his dad’s study in the middle of the night. Monday morning found him in a somewhat better mood although a bit frustrated for being unable to carry through with his plans. He could only hope that at this point Drake had been able to do something.

 

Drake was late getting to school that Monday morning. Secreted in his backpack was the item Will had asked for, still in its envelope. He didn't have the guts to look at it by himself. His stomach rolled with the idea of what it could say and he thought of more than once just lying to Will. They had glanced at each other across the dining hall, exchanged a few words in science but they had had to wait again until study hall for the privacy they wanted.

Will had been mad that Drake hadn’t been there that morning. He kept his eyes open in the halls between classes but it wasn’t till lunch that he actually laid eyes on him. To say that he felt anxious was an understatement. It took all he had not to jump up and race across the room. Science was a bit of angst but he wanted privacy for this. He played it cool and ignored Drake during phys ed but when he got to study hall he was beyond impatient. He easily put his friends off by saying they had something to work on for science. When he plopped down in the seat next to Drake he was ready to explode. “Well?”

Drake took his time taking out the envelope. He swallowed hard as he held it tightly in his hands. “I haven’t looked at it.”

“Are you kidding me?” Will was surprised to find that he hadn’t looked. The look on Drake’s face made Will pull back. He hadn’t thought in the slightest how this might affect the other boy.

“They must have had a reason.” All of Drake’s insecurities were rising to the surface. “Anyways, couldn’t you find your own?”

“No. I was stuck at my grandfather’s house in London all weekend.” Will considered simply snatching it out of Drake’s hands but was afraid that might attract too much attention. “Just let me look.”

Drake felt like his heart was going to beat its way out of his chest as he grudgingly released the envelope to Will. “I feel guilty for going behind my Da’s back.”

As Will took it in hand he stared at it. “If this says what I hope it says you can just put it back and do some extra chores or something to cover your guilt.” He opened the envelope and took out the sheet of paper. He set the envelope down and took a deep breath before he unfolded it. As Will read down through the document the color drained from his face. He dropped the certificate in Drake’s lap without a word.

Drake picked up the paper already knowing what it would say by the look on Will’s face. He had to look none the less. He scanned past his name, birth date, birthplace to the relevant data. ‘Parent – Paternal Arthur James Pendragon. Parent – Maternal Merlin Charles Emrys’

Drake and Will sat in silence for the rest of study hall. Neither was sure what to say to the other in light of their life changing revelation. It wasn’t like they were friends or even friendly acquaintances and now they were something more than that. Drake’s last class of the day was art which he spent more or less just staring at his project in a daze. He was still in a daze as he left school to walk home.

“Drake, wait up.” Will raced to catch up with him. “So are you ok?”

Drake had stopped and waited for him but then eyed him suspiciously. “Since when do you care?” He turned without looking back and began walking up the sidewalk again.

Will fell in step with him. “I guess I deserved that.” When Drake didn’t respond he continued. “So what do you think we should do now?”

“What do you mean?” Drake was genuinely surprised by his question.

“Well now that we know don’t you think we should do something?” Will did his best to sound confident hoping to hide the anxiety he felt.

Drake looked over at him for a second. He never thought he would feel sympathy for Will Pendragon. “I don’t know.” They walked along in silence for about half a block before Drake asked, “So what’s your Dad like?”

“He’s ok but he can be strict. He likes to play footie. Oh, and he’s a solicitor.” Will stopped not sure what else to add. “So how about your dad?”

“My Da’s a doctor. He works in the A&E at the medical center.” Drake thought for a moment about what else to say. “He’s mostly easy going until you step out of line and he is sort of a neat freak.”

Will laughed. “My dad’s kind of a slob.”

Drake smiled at him as he came to stop on the sidewalk. “This is my house. Do you want to come in?”

“Your da’s not here is he?” Will felt his heart beat fast at that thought.

“No. We only moved here like 5 months ago so he’s new on the team at A&E so he has to work a lot of nights.” Drake explained. “The housekeeper, Ms. Collins is here though."

Drake opened the door and Will followed him into the entrance hall through a door to the left and down a long hall that finally opened into a kitchen. In the kitchen was a woman with long dark hair, dark brown eyes and a pale complexion. She was dressed in a tight square neck shirt that showed her ample bosom. Will stared as Drake talked to her, collected a couple of juices and some biscuits. He grabbed Will on the shoulder and pulled him back down the hall to the stairwell and upstairs to his bedroom. "She’s kind of weird but ok.”

“She’s got big bristols,” He sniggered. Will looked at everything but Drake when he saw the narrowed look on his face. “Weird how?”

“She keeps asking me questions about Da.” Drake shuddered a bit. He put the juice and biscuits on his desk before taking one of each and plopping on the bed. “I think she’s hoping for something to happen but it won't."

Will plopped his backpack on the floor and sat down in the desk chair. “What do you mean?” He took a juice and biscuit.

Drake looked at him curiously. “Well you've seen the picture and then there’s my birth certificate. He likes guys.”

It was Will’s turn to look at him narrowly. "How do you know that for sure?”

Drake swallowed thickly as he thought of the conversation he had with his Da on Saturday morning. "I asked him."

“And he just told you?” Will looked at him incredulously nearly dropping his biscuit.

Drake smiled thinking of his Da, “Yeah. Da’s cool like that.”

Drake and Will had talked on Monday till Drake had to go home. They had an idea but didn’t know if it would work. But if it did, they had all sorts of ideas of what to do with the power.

Tuesday afternoon Will and Drake slipped away after school to a local barber shop that neither of them knew. The barber didn’t ask any questions and they walked out with the same haircut. They now just had to test it.

 

Wednesday morning found Arthur and Will sitting across the table from one another in the breakfast nook. As soon as he had finished scanning the paper for anything he needed to know, Arthur folded it and sat it down on the table. He looked at Will for a moment. He had grounded him before for misbehavior but it seemed like this time he was taking it harder. He picked up his tea and took a sip before speaking. "So, anything happening today?"

Will flashed a look at Arthur that truthfully left him confused. "Not really."

"Well then how is Sophia?" Arthur tried to sound as interested as possible.

Will simply glared at him. "Don't Dad." He sat there munching through a piece of toast trying to figure out ways to surreptitiously ask his Dad questions when an idea hit him. "Dad, if I ask you something will you tell me the truth?"

The question had Arthur's complete attention. He couldn't help but feel this was both a test and a trap. "I will do my best."

Will looked at him intensely. He didn't really think he would get an honest answer out of his dad with this question but he was going to try. "Why doesn't grandfather like me?"

Arthur felt his heart sink a bit and his gut clench. He said the first thing that came to mind. "Your grandfather loves you very much."

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know he loves me, but why doesn't he like me?"

"I don't know what you are on about." Arthur tried to deflect the question. He had feared that one day Will would notice what Arthur always had, what he knew Uther would deny to his face, but was the truth. That Uther loved Will as he was of his blood but he didn't like him because of how he came about in this world. That he couldn't get past his bigoted views for a child that had no control over his circumstances. It was part of the reason he had moved away.

Will felt a heat rising in him. "Oh come on Dad. He just pretends. When no one else is in the room he doesn't even look at me."

To say that Arthur felt sick in his heart and stomach was an understatement. "I don't know what to tell you. Your Grandfather is a hard man."

Will wasn't surprised at the answer but he was disappointed. He downed his juice and got up from the table. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He took his plate and cup to the kitchen sink.

Arthur stood and followed him into the kitchen. "Will, for what's it’s worth, I'm sorry."

Will picked up his backpack and turned to look at his dad. "Yeah. Ok."

Arthur ruffled his hair slightly and smiled. "I like the new haircut. It looks good."

Will gave him a tentative smile. Despite everything that he had learned in the last few days this was still his dad. "Thanks. I better get going."

Arthur returned his smile. "Ok. Have a good day." With a 'later Dad' he was out the door. Arthur stood there for only a minute before he rushed off to his office. As soon has his computer had booted up he logged onto an ancient yahoo account he kept for one purpose only. They had more formal ways of contacting one another through a solicitor in London but they had personally agreed on this for less formal non-legal, non-emergency communication. They didn't use it often but he had no idea where Merlin lived and it felt good in some way to have it. To know that if he really needed, he could contact Merlin, outside the solicitors, that he still had some kind of contact with him. His email was short and simple. "M, Will is asking questions. A." He got a reply later that morning. "A. I have decided to tell Drake everything if he asks. M." Arthur wasn't surprised at his answer but then he had always thought Merlin was probably the better parent.

 

_Arthur had slipped into the house the night before after having left Merlin. To say that he was scared was an understatement in addition to the guilt he felt. The look on Merlin’s face when he said he needed to think haunted him, kept him from sleeping. And now he stood outside his father’s study, his gut churning, his heart skittering in his chest in a cold sweat. It seemed like hours he stood there before he knocked. His father’s harsh voice did nothing to make him feel any better as he bid him to enter._

_Uther looked up from the his desk. If he noticed Arthur’s appearance he didn’t make comment. “Arthur, I was surprised when the housekeeper told me you had come in late last night.”_

_“Yes, I, well.” Arthur sputtered, not sure what to say. Everything he had practiced just left him as he faced his father._

_“Can I assume you have done something?” Uther looked at him with a stern expression._

_Arthur let out a deep breath. Uther already knew he was gay but acted like it was a phase. He could already guess the reaction when he would tell him this part. “Yes Sir.”_

_“Well, out with it. I don’t have all day.” Uther glared at him._

_Arthur just decided to blurt it out. “I got my partner pregnant.” He could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped five degrees._

_Uther stared at him for a moment as he organized his thoughts. “Are you certain this partner is pregnant?” He said partner like it was the most repulsive word he could say. “They’re not trying to trick you into something?”_

_Arthur pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the desk. The scan was grainy and unidentifiable. At the bottom was a name and number of weeks. “Patient: Emrys, Merlin Fetal age: 8 weeks.”_

_Uther picked up the paper and stared at it. He hadn’t really looked at the name on the bottom. “And the child is yours?”_

_This was the one thing that Arthur was absolutely certain on. “Yes.”_

_It was then that Uther spotted the name. The look on his face changed to one of outright anger. “This can’t be right Arthur. The name on this is that Emrys boy.”_

_Arthur swallowed thickly and wished the floor would just swallow him up. “I told you I was gay and he’s a carrier.”_

_“Nonsense.” Uther looked up at Arthur and smiled. “This is some kind of joke right. Well, you got me.”_

_Arthur suddenly wanted to scream. Instead he sat down in the chair across from his father’s desk and put his head in his hands. “I wish it was.”_

 

Will and Drake met in the loo in the science building after school where they traded uniforms. The plan was simple. Each would spend the night at the other's house. Drake had walked Will all through his house so he knew where everything was. Will had had to give Drake a video tour as he believed that there was a possibility that Mr. Geoffrey and Ms. Alice knew the truth of things. It was clear that Ms. Collins didn't know anything.

"Ok, remember, I call my dad Da. He won't be home this evening. It will just be Ms. Collins. Also, I get up extra early in the morning to spend time with Da. We make breakfast together and talk." Drake looked at him nervously.

"Got it. And remember it's Dad. He should be home for supper. If he wants to play footie, beg off. We've been playing since I could walk. Oh, and remember it's Mr. Geoffrey and Ms. Alice. And my bedroom is the first on the left." Will was almost to the point of babbling.

"Ok, I got it." Drake stopped him. "I will call you if I have any problems."

Will gave him an intense look. "And don't go through any of my stuff."

Drake glared back. "Same to you."

 

Will had walked confidently into Drake's house. He knew the lay of the land and it was easy. He checked in with Ms. Collins who didn't even really look at him, collected a snack and went up to Drake's room. He had been here twice before but of course that had been with Drake. There were some differences but it amazed him how much they liked the same stuff. Similar shades of red and blue. They liked a lot of the same music with a taste toward the unusual, bands most hadn't heard of. They had some of the same books, Potter, Truckers, The Graveyard Book. He had laughed when he saw the Beano mags. Drake said they had been a gift from his Gran. What had really surprised him though was the Medieval Castle and Knights. Will had loved all that as a kid, had studied all the weapons, learned to ride and fence. Drake's interest had been more in the idea of magic, warlocks and dragons. He had a least 15 models of dragons and a large number of drawings. He had just reached out to pick one up when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket to see that it was Drake. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing so far." Drake assured him. "I just need to know what's your favorite cause that is what Ms. Alice says is for dinner."

"Oggies with meat and potatoes." Will answered.

"Does she put cheese in it?" The worry in Drake's voice was clear.

"No. Why?" Will sounded suspicious.

Drake sighed. "I forgot to tell you. Don't drink any milk or eat any cheese."

Will thought this sounded particularly strange. "Why not?"

"Because I’m lactose intolerant." Drake explained. "And so is my Da so it shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't ask for any."

The irritation in Will's voice was clear. "Anything else you forgot?"

"I'm sorry." Drake sounded tired. "And no."

"Ok." Will gave in. "Well, Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I know you said your house was big but I've gotten lost once so far." Will laughed. Drake protested, “It’s not funny. Ms. Alice told me off about being in your dad’s game room.”

“Oh, sorry, yeah. You aren’t supposed to go in there or in his office without permission. It’s a long story.” Will supplied.

Drake started to whisper, “Ok, someone’s coming. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.” He hung up the phone before Will could say another word. It was going to be a long evening.

...

Drake put down the phone and turned back to the maths page on the desk. He held a pencil in his hand and simply stared at the page. His heart was beating hard in his chest and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself. The footsteps coming up the hall scared him. He didn’t know the man coming up the hall but he kept what Will had said about his dad in mind and did his best to keep calm. He pretended he didn’t hear the door open behind him.

“Hey Weeble. Ms. Alice says dinner is in half.” Arthur smiled at him.

Drake turned at the sound of the voice. The man who stood in front of him was tall like his da with sandy blond hair and soft blue eyes. He looked just like his picture except older. Drake tried not to stare at this man, his other parent. He had known other kids with two dads but this was different. This was his father? Dad? His Da had always seemed so sad when it came up that he had never asked. He was the one who pointed out that they must have had a reason. Maybe he hadn’t wanted them, hadn’t wanted him. Drake jumped slightly as the man was suddenly much closer.

“You ok?” Arthur was worried as he looked down at the boy he thought was Will.

Drake suddenly realized he must have said something else that he didn’t hear. “Uh yeah, sorry Da.d. I’m just tired.” He gave him a tentative smile.

Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. "You sure?" The concern in his voice was clear.

“Yeah, just tired. I’ll just finish my maths and be down.” Drake prayed he sounded enough like Will to pull this off.

"Ok, I'll see you downstairs." He looked at Drake for a few moments before he left the room.

Drake took a moment to catch his breath trying to get his fear under control. He had known that he would be nervous, but he hadn’t expected to be afraid. Part of him wanted to call Will right now, cancel the whole thing and sneak out the back door, but Will would call him a wuss. And when did he start caring what Will thought. _Oh god._ Drake heard someone call Will’s name. He took a deep breath and counted to 5. _I can do this._

 

Will spent a quiet but uneasy evening. After he finished his homework he had dinner with Ms. Collins which was uncomfortable. This is not to say that he hadn’t had dinner with the hired help. He had with Mr. Geoffrey and Ms. Alice many times but he had known them all his life and they talked to him. His father had told him once that how you treat people who are at your mercy in some way says a lot about you. What it told him right now was that Ms. Collins was just as weird as Drake had said. She told him some strange story about being followed at the market, asked him if his dad liked some particular food and then, as what seemed like an afterthought, asked him about his day. She spoke in a soft tone that made one lean toward her. Will wasn’t exactly unhappy with this as she was wearing another low cut blouse but by the time he returned to Drake’s room he was a bit undone. He cured that though with a long shower and a couple of hours of Call of Duty. He went to bed when Ms. Collins had told him to and waited in bed for Drake to call.

 

Drake flopped down on Will's bed. His evening had been better than he expected. Dinner hadn't been so bad once he got past his nerves. Will's dad?, his dad? had been ok, nice even once he had relaxed. He hadn't expected him to be funny and sort of cool. After dinner he had begged off on footie saying he was tired and they had played Mario Kart instead. He had a good time, enjoyed himself. But if he was honest with himself he felt a little guilty. He picked up his phone. It rang twice before Will picked it up. He smirked to himself, "Hey Weeble."

Will's voice was instantly tense, "Don't call me that."

Drake laughed, "How are you gonna stop me?"

"I made copies of a couple of pictures I saw in your dad's office." Will informed.

"Ok.” Drake instantly knew which ones. “So then we are even."

"Agreed." Will changed the subject. "You are right about Ms. Collins. She's weird even if she does have big bristols."

"Don't tell me. Something weird happened while she was out and then she asked something about Da." Drake could almost hear her voice.

"Yeah. So how's my dad?" Will suddenly felt a little homesick.

"He's nice. I like him." The smile on his face could almost be heard through the phone. "We played Mario Kart."

"Yeah." Will did his best to hide his jealousy. “He didn’t notice or anything?”

“He did at first but I told him I was just tired.” Drake explained. “He seemed to accept that.”

“Oh.” Will was disappointed his Dad couldn’t tell the difference. “So when does your dad get home?”

“Sometime after half two in the morning. It depends on if they have an emergency though.” Drake yawned into the phone.

“Oh. Ok.” Will tried to keep his voice light but the truth was he was anxious and homesick.

Drake suddenly felt that pang of sorrow for Will again. He sort of whispered his question. “Are you ok?”

Will sounded tired. “Yeah. I’m gonna hang up now.”

“Ok. Night Will.”

“Night Drake.”

Drake laid there for a while thinking about all that had happened recently and though he thought he should feel mad for what his Da and his other parent? Dad?, he didn’t even know what to call him, did, he only felt nervous and scared.

 

Will got out of bed and dug through his backpack until he found the picture. He laid back down on the bed and stared at it for a long time allowing the last few days to flow through his mind. He didn’t know if he had slept any but he suddenly found that he didn’t want to meet this man. There must have been a good reason they weren’t together. He knew his Dad had to know what he was doing. He hopped out of bed and decided to head to the bathroom before he packed his backpack and left. He had finished his business and was heading out of the bathroom when they came face to face. Will just stood there staring.

Merlin had a smile on his face, “Hey Kiddo, what you doing up? You ok?”

He looked just like his picture, young and tall with short dark hair. Will couldn’t see his eyes clearly in the half dark of the hall but he assumed they were the same dark blue. “Yeah. Just had to go.” All the bravado he had a moment ago was gone.

“Let’s get you back to bed, ok?” Merlin put his arm around Will’s shoulders and guided him back toward his room. He helped the boy get back into bed and pulled the covers over him. He smiled down at him as he ran a hand through Will’s hair and down the side of his face.

Will made sure to use the right name. “Da, do you ever miss him?”

Merlin stared at the boy for a moment before he sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t need to ask, he knew exactly who he was talking about. He played with tucking the blanket around him. He knew in his heart the answer his son needed to hear and fortunately for him it was true. “Yeah, sometimes I really do.”

Will stared at Merlin trying to judge the truthfulness of his answer. “Did you love him?”

“Yes.” Merlin answered without hesitation.

“So then why isn’t he here?” Will tried not to sound desperate for an answer.

“Because we were young and didn’t yet know how to stand up to the people around us who didn’t approve.” Merlin tried to hide the sadness he felt at that but did a poor job.

Will’s innocence struck Merlin. “But you said you loved each other?”

“We did but sometimes love isn’t enough.” Merlin clamped down hard on the ache he felt inside. “And sometimes you just make bad decisions.”

“Oh.” Will looked at Merlin as he thought about what he had said.

“Drake, don’t ever believe for a moment that we didn’t want you or love you.” He brushed the hair off Will’s forehead. “Now that’s enough for now. You need to get some sleep.”

“Ok.” Will felt something for this man, his other dad. He could feel the sincerity and love even if he knew it wasn’t meant for him directly. He snuggled down into the bed and closed his eyes.

Merlin stood up from where he was sat and made his way out of the room shutting the door quietly behind him. The thought that his son, either of his sons, might think they weren’t loved and wanted sat hard with him. After a hot shower and a bit of soul searching he sent a one line email, “We were wrong.”

 

_Arthur had left on Friday night. Merlin hadn’t really moved from the couch till Sunday morning when Gwen had told him he stunk and said she would go pick up lunch. He loved Gwen. She had been his true friend, rock, confidant. She had held his hand, listened to his fears and when Arthur had walked out the door saying he needed to think she had come right over. He had just finished pulling on clean clothes after a shower when he heard the door. He hoped beyond hope that it was Arthur but there was no reason for him to ring. He didn’t let that stop him as he opened the door._

_Uther Pendragon stood stiff as a board in his perfectly pin neat pressed grey business suit. The look on his face betrayed nothing of how he felt and his voice was perfectly polite. “Mr. Emrys, may I come in?”_

_Alarm bells went off in Merlin’s head but he was too tired and emotionally strung out to listen. “Certainly Mr. Pendragon.”_

_Uther stepped through the door just enough to allow it to close. He made no move to sit or otherwise, choosing to get straight down to business. ”You know why I have come?”_

_Merlin looked a little sheepish and flushed a bit red. “Umm.”_

_“I am going to get straight to the point Mr. Emrys.” Uther gave him a look that implied you will do what I say no matter what. “I want this matter taken care of quietly and then I expect you to stay away from my son.”_

_“What do you mean?” Merlin felt a bit of nausea roll through his gut._

_Uther took a step toward him attempting to use his larger size to intimidate. “I mean Mr. Emrys that this can all be taken care of with a simple procedure and that everyone can get on with their lives. And to make things easier for you I am prepared to pay you the sum of £50,000 for your…inconvenience.”_

_Merlin stood there staring for a moment, unable to think. “Does Arthur know you are here?”_

_Uther looked down and adjusted the lapel on his jacket. “I told him I would see to things and left him in the company of his lady companion.” He neglected to mention that the companion was his cousin Mithian._

_Anger surged through Merlin at near light speed. “Get out.”_

_Uther continued as if he had complete control of everything. “Provide me with proof Mr. Emrys and I shall see to the details.”_

_Merlin’s face turned red and his hands curled into fists. “I SAID GET OUT.”_

_Uther merely nodded and left almost running into Gwen on his way out. She was still looking down the hall as she spoke, “Was that Arthur’s father?”_

_Merlin felt the tears come again as nausea assaulted him. Gwen finally turned to look at Merlin. She set the takeout bag on the floor and immediately went to him. “It’s ok. He’s gone.”_

_They stood in silence for a few moments before Merlin whispered, “He offered me money to ..” He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words._

 

Will and Drake met in the loo in the Science building and switched uniforms so that the clothes they wore now had the appropriate name on the inside.

Will looked sheepishly at Drake. “I think I broke your Da.”

Drake looked at him worriedly, “What did you do?”

Will told him the whole of their early morning conversation. “He seemed really sad.”

“I never ask him anything for that reason.” Drake bit at his lower lip.

“So did you say or do anything I should know about?” Will looked in the mirror to straighten his tie and fix his hair.

"No. He asked me a couple times if I was ok but telling him I was tired seemed to work." Drake pulled on his blazer and picked up his backpack.

Will and Drake walked out of the loo and went their separate ways. Whatever thoughts each had they kept to themselves all Thursday, Friday and through the weekend. The silence broke Monday at study hall when Will sat down at Drake's table.

"Well?" Will looked at him expectantly.

Drake looked at him curiously, "Well what?"

"We need to do something." Will reached into his backpack and pulled out a couple more pictures.

"Like what?" Drake took the pictures and looked at them. He couldn't help but smile.

Will leaned back in his chair. "I've been thinking about what your Da said."

"He's been a bit moody since then." Drake offered. He was staring at the pictures when it hit him. "You want to get them back together."

"I want to see my dad happy." Will took the pictures back. "Happy like he is in these pictures."

Drake cocked his head to the side and gave him a funny little smile, “Do you have a plan?”

Will gave him a cocky smile in return. “We need to fix it so that they ‘accidentally’ run into one another.”

“How are we going to do that?” Drake inquired.

Will wiped the smile off his face and gave him a serious look. His determination seemed to fill the air. “We need to get as much info as we can so that we can plan something.”

 

Drake and Will spent the next couple of weeks getting what they could. They switched a couple of nights a week; asked questions and searched their dad’s offices and bedrooms finding little hints here and there of the life they had had together. They put it all together and came up with a few facts; Merlin and Arthur had met in sixth form and then had gone to Uni together. Everything they found, pictures, a couple of notes, suggested that they had been close and happy. What Drake nor Will could find though was what had split them apart.

Thursday afternoon found them in Drake’s bedroom trying to figure out what to do next.

“We could always drag them somewhere and just run into each other.” Will speculated. “And like both of us say hi to them like we know them.”

Drake bite his lower lip. “But then they would know what we did and their being mad about that could get in the way.”

Will paced around the room trying to think, come up with anything “Look, next week is term holiday. Why don’t we switch for a few days?”

Drake gave him a wide eyed look. “Really?” He had yet to admit to Will that he had really come to like Arthur but the idea of spending several days away from home was a bit scary.

“Yeah.” Will continued. “We've pulled it off so far." He suddenly felt a possible plan. "Perhaps we could get them to go to the same place at the same time but we don't have to tell them we know each other yet."

"Ok, we can try." Drake relented. "Anyways, I like your dad, well our dad. So yeah.”

I..uh.. kind of like your dad, our dad too.” Will ran his hand through his hair. “Gods, that sounds weird.”

 

Drake had nervously packed and repacked his backpack several times. There were some things that neither could stand to share like their toothbrush, deodorant or underwear. Everything else they would just have to use. Their dads may not be the most observant of people but even they knew that being caught over something like a t-shirt would be stupid. He wanted them to be happy when it all came out. He thought of how they would forgive them for their deception when they realized how much they missed one another. It was with these thoughts that he slipped out of the house. They were going to meet at the park early Saturday morning across from the school to trade places.

Will came running into the park and looked around for Drake. He finally spotted him sitting by a tree on the far side. “Sorry I’m late. Dad wanted to ask me about going to the British Museum next week. They have a medieval weapons exhibit."

Drake looked at Will with regret, "Are you sure you still want to switch?"

"Yeah." He sat down next to Drake. "I was thinking maybe you could ask your Dad to go too. You like that medieval stuff as well."

"What day?" A small anxious look flashed across his face for a second before he covered it. How in the world could he possibly talk his dad into doing something like this on a specific day?

"Thursday." Will looked at him. "Think you can last that long."

"Yeah, of course." Drake gave him an annoyed look. "But I was thinking we should have a code just in case one of us gets stuck somehow."

Will gave him a look of surprise, "That's actually a good idea. So what you thinking?"

"I was thinking we could pick a code word and if the other texts it we find a way to get to the other's house" Drake suggested.

"Trapped?" Will suggested.

 

For Will, the weekend was easy. Saturday he hung out with Merlin until Merlin went to work. He then hung out with Ewan and Ethan playing video games and eating pizza. He repeated it again on Sunday. A perfect weekend as far as he was concerned.

Drake’s weekend was a bit more difficult to say the least. On Saturday he had just finished having dinner with his dad when his grandfather called, said he was in town and would be around for supper. His dad, despite wanting to say no, had agreed and then said he would make it up to him. Drake could only wonder what that meant. For some reason he decided not to call Will. Instead he had surreptitiously watched as Mr. Geoffrey had set the formal table setting in the dining room. He had talked to Ms. Alice as she had cooked more food than they would ever need. And Drake had had to “put on something nice.” Dinner with his gran had never been such a formal affair.

Uther Pendragon arrived at exactly 5:45PM dressed in a pin neat pressed grey business suit. Drake could swear that the room was colder after he entered it. He stared at the man until he spoke to him absolutely uncertain what to think, say or do. He instantly regretted not calling Will ahead of time.

Arthur was as formal as Drake had ever seen him, not that he had seen that much of him. But still he was surprised. “Father, it is good to see you.” Arthur stood stiffly and waited to be addressed.

Uther said nothing until he had removed his coat and handed it to Geoffrey. “Of course it is Arthur.” He gave Arthur a once over. “As it is good to see you.”

Uther then turned his attention to him though he didn’t quite look at him as he spoke “William, I trust you are well.”

“Yes, Grandfather. Thank you.” Drake felt as though he was being judged. He now knew what his father had meant that he would make it up to him. “And you?”

“I am fine. Thank you for asking.” Uther turned away from him making it clear he was done speaking to him. Will never spoke of Uther and he could see why. He got the immediate impression that Uther Pendragon didn’t like him.

Dinner was served promptly at 6:00PM on the dot. Uther Pendragon sat ramrod straight. If he picked up a glass he put it back in the exact same spot. He made sure his butter knife was exactly parallel to the table. He didn’t make one slurp, accidentally bang his silverware or say please or thank you once. What he did do was talk, at Arthur, at length, about everything he thought Arthur should be doing. “Arthur, you need to settle down.” “Arthur, you should consider moving back to London.” “Arthur, you should take the course that will allow you to work as a barrister.” “Arthur, you should consider joining my practice so you can take over.” “Arthur, you should consider sending William to Camelot Academy.” “Arthur, you should bring Elena to dinner at Christmas.” Apparently Arthur should be doing a lot of things he wasn’t. Most of it Drake ignored except the last two. He didn’t want Will to go to Camelot and who the heck was Elena. One thing was sure to Drake. Uther Pendragon would never have approved of his Da.

Uther only looked at Drake when he did something it was clear the old man disapproved of. He didn’t say anything, just looked, intensely, always judging, and somehow finding fault. He looked when Drake dropped his napkin, he scowled when he accidentally clanged his glass, he glared when he picked up the wrong spoon and he glowered when dessert was served and Drake excitedly said it looked good. The second Arthur dismissed him from the table Drake shot out of there so fast he likely left skid marks on the floor. Later that evening when he lay in bed it occurred to him that Uther might have been why their dads weren’t together.

Sunday Arthur more than made up for Uther when he took Drake four wheeling.

 

Monday of term break felt lazy and directionless. Arthur had to go to work but declared that he was going to take the rest of the week off and they would do something fun. Merlin didn’t have that option as he hadn’t been with his employer long enough but he was going to be able to take Thursday. Drake and Will decided to meet up at Drake’s house after Merlin left to compare notes and make plans.

Drake waited in the woods behind the house until he saw his Da leave. It felt weird and a bit of a betrayal. He missed his Da and no matter how much he liked Arthur, it just wasn’t the same. Will answered the door immediately and dragged him up to his bedroom before Ms. Collins could see him.

The first words out of Drake’s mouth were, “Your grandfather’s a complete dick.”

“I know that but how do you?” Will looked at him narrowly. Drake then related the events of Saturday.  
Will’s only response was, “Yeah, that’s him.”

Drake spoke, “I had a thought about Da and Dad.” He hesitated for a second when realized what he said.

Will looked at him a bit surprised at the use of both names. “Yeah?”

“The dick would completely hate Da.” Drake’s voice sounded bitter. “What you bet he broke them up?”

Will stared at the wall for a moment. “Yeah, I can see that. He never says anything nice to anyone except Mordred.”

“Who’s Mordred?” Drake asked.

“Cousin. He’s kind of creepy. Likes to stare a lot.” Will’s dislike of Mordred was clear.

They both sat in silence for a while till Drake spoke. “So now what?”

Will stared at him, “What do you mean now what?”

Drake’s voice pitched a little high, “How do we fight the dick?”

Will smiled. “We don’t. Grandfather lives in London which is more than 2 hours away. “

“So we stay on plan for Thursday?” Drake queried.

“Yeah. Just make sure you have your cell phone with you,” Will reminded.

 

Tuesday Arthur had a whole day planned for he and Will. They started with breakfast out and then drove out to local stables. Later they were going to go shopping and to the movies. Drake was a little scared that he wouldn’t be able to ride as well as Will but Arthur didn’t say a word either way.

Merlin felt guilty leaving Drake with Ms. Collins again. She was up to the task of making sure he was looked after but she was odd and not really company for an 11 year old boy. He decided he would take Drake to hang out at the mall for a bit and then to lunch. Ms. Collins could pick him up later at the A&E.

 

Merlin looked at the text message on his phone. "Ms. Collins is going to be at least another hour. She's caught in traffic."

Will decided to finally say something. "You know Da, she's kind of weird."

Merlin nodded. "Yeah I know. But she does a good job."

"She asks me all sorts of questions about you." Will continued.

"I know." Merlin smiled at him. "But don't worry. Nothing is going to happen between me and Ms. Collins."

Will let the relief come through his voice. "Good to know."

Merlin gave him a funny smile and shook his head. "Well my shift is set to start so you are going to have to come with me." He finished putting his jacket and wallet in his locker. He put his arm around Will's shoulders and steered him out of the doctor's lounge. "I will introduce you around."

A&E at Albion Citadel Medical Center was relatively quiet for a Tuesday afternoon. A few people sat in the chairs quietly waiting their turn. Merlin nodded at a couple of orderlies as they approached the main station. Two people were busy working behind the desk. One was a short, plump woman with grey hair. The other was an older bald man of medium height.

"Finna, you look lovely on this fine Tuesday." Merlin smiled at her. "You too Cathal."

"Oh Dr., flattery will get you anything." Finna smiled at him while Cathal chuckled. "And who is this handsome young man?"

Merlin signed in on the main computer terminal. "This is my son Drake."

Will gave them a tentative smile, "Hi."

Finna flashed him a big smile. "Well hello Drake, Come to watch your dad work have ya?"

Merlin smiled down at Will and then back at Finna and Cathal. "Actually I was hoping he could sit here with you two while he waits for his ride."

Cathal looked at Will and smiled. "As long as he is not worried that sitting behind this desk makes you bald." He laughed for a moment before the ring of a phone drew his attention.

Finna pulled out a stool. "Just ignore him." She patted the seat. "Have a seat cutie."

Will blushed as he took a seat, “Thanks.”  
"Thanks Finna. I owe you." Merlin started to pull up the list of patients waiting to be seen.

Cathal looked up from where he was talking with someone. "Doctor, ETA 2 minutes. car accident. 2 incoming. The first is a 30 something male with a broken leg, lacerations and possible head trauma. Second is a male child approximately 10, possible head and spinal injuries, possible right side crush injuries."

Merlin spared Will a two second glance. "Call Edwin and have rooms 2 and 3 prepped." He grabbed a pair of surgical gloves from the box and slipped them on. “Oh, and call down Morgause.” He then turned and walked toward the ambulance entry. He stood there for a moment taking a deep breath to prepare himself. As a gurney approached the automatic doors Merlin looked at the patient, a tall guy with broad shoulders and blond hair. His mouth opened in a gape as he saw his face. The man on the gurney stared back but didn't hesitate to speak.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice was ragged with emotion. "Merlin, Will was in the car with me. Please, you have to find him."

It took Merlin a moment to get over the shock of seeing Arthur before his words penetrated. Merlin grabbed Arthur's hand for a moment, "I'll find him." He looked around to see Edwin approaching and then took off to find the next patient being brought in. His heart skittered in his chest as he spotted a young boy on a gurney. He was wearing a K.E.D. and there was a large bandage wrapped around his head as well as splints on his right arm and leg.

 

Will watched with interest as a bunch of people headed into what he assumed were rooms 2 and 3 to get ready. He could hear them speaking in clear crisp orders to prep this and get that ready. He was watching as they rolled in equipment when he heard someone say Merlin's name. It was familiar but sounded wrong, strained and frightened. He looked at the two people working the desk. They weren't paying him any attention so it was easy for him to just slip off the stool and head toward the sound. He saw Merlin move away from the gurney back toward the doors. The gurney was surrounded by several people but he could see a familiar color of blond hair. The gurney was being wheeled quickly down the hall, he followed, a gut feeling pulling him on. No one paid him any attention as he moved toward the large doorway they had just rolled the gurney through. He could hear lots of talking, most of which he didn't understand but he heard clearly when they asked the man his name. "Arthur, Arthur Pendragon. I need to know about my son." It was all he needed to hear. He ran into the room, "Dad, I'm here."

 

Merlin went immediately toward the gurney. "It took all he had not to lay his hands on the boy and try to heal him. What magic he had slipped out of his control to caress the boy, his son, to let him know it wasn't as bad as it looked. He had barely heard the paramedics report as they approached Room 2. Morgause stood at the door, took one look at him and spoke. "Step back Merlin. I saw them roll Arthur in." He felt pale and sick to his stomach as he watched them wheel the boy into the room and Morgause follow them, forbidden from taking action. He felt completely powerless.

 

Arthur looked toward the sound of his son's voice. "Will?" He tried to shoo away the medical personnel surrounding him. "I don't understand."

Will did nothing to stop the tears that were falling from his eyes. "It wasn't me Dad, it was Drake."

Arthur's heart rate and blood pressure shot up as he looked at Will, his thoughts racing as to what that meant. The Doctor in charge looked around at the boy, "Someone needs to get him out of here."

"I've got him." Merlin put a hand on the Will's shoulder to pull him from the room.

Will struggled a little bit, “No, I want to stay with my dad.” He only gave up when Merlin put a second hand on him as if to pick him up.

Once out the door Merlin stopped and stared into the face before him. He could see the fear in his eyes and wanted desperately to take it away but his own fears for the other boy, for Drake, took over. "This is important. I don't have time for games."

The boy in front of him knew exactly what he meant. "I promise, I'm Will."

Merlin left the boy standing there as he darted back into the room next door. "Morgause!"

Morgause looked up for a second, "Merlin, I told you out."

"Morgause, that's not William. It’s Drake." Merlin swallowed hard as he looked at his boy on the table surrounded by people and machines. Someone shifted enough so that he could see his face, swollen and bloody. His breath caught in his throat. It took everything in him not to move, not to do something,

Morgause looked up at him and then at the boy standing beside him. She added to her orders accordingly before speaking to Merlin again. "Merlin, take your son out of here."

Morgause’ words took a second or two to sink in as Will put his hand in Merlin’s. He turned to look into the face so much like his Drake’s to see his fears mirrored there. Whatever anger he might have felt for Will and Drake's antics were washed away in his fear for Drake and concern for Arthur.

Merlin took Will over to a small lounge for those waiting for patients in triage. He texted Ms. Collins and told her not to bother coming by to pick up Drake. And then they stared at each other for a few moments saying nothing, their fear and anxiety written on their faces. But Merlin couldn’t just sit there and stare at this boy, his son. He paced, he stared up the hall, anything but look into that face, that beautiful face so much like the other, that brought with it such anguish and regret, until he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t know how long he had been crying but Merlin could no longer ignore him. It was easy to pull him into his arms, hold him and let his own tears go.

It wasn’t long before they called Merlin to see Drake. They were certain that he hadn’t sustained any serious head, spinal or internal injuries. Although he did have a concussion, displaced fracture of the upper arm, hairline fracture of the tibia and several lacerations that would need to be closed. The orthopedist and plastic surgeon wanted to do it in theatre though as he was young and they could better keep him out and out of pain.

As soon as it had been determined that Arthur's injuries were fairly minor, a broken leg, a concussion and a few lacerations of which a couple would have to be stitched, but that they were going to keep him overnight, they let Will into see him.

 

The hospital cafeteria was mostly empty as they found a seat. A booth in the back offered them a bit of privacy. Merlin handed the boy his chocolate milk and sat down in the chair opposite him with a cup of tea. He took a sip as he looked at the boy sitting there. Will. His son. There was an ache in his heart for this child that he had given up so easily though at the time it had felt like the worst thing in the world. He knew deep inside that it probably wouldn’t matter to him how many tears he had shed, how much regret he felt, how backed into a corner he had been. His own self recriminations about how if he had only fought harder. The excuse that he had been young felt so lame sitting where he was now. But it was water under the bridge and nothing he could change. He could only hope for a future with him. “So, how is it you and Drake know each other?”

Will looked at Merlin with a certain amount of fear. He barely knew this man who was supposed to be his parent and though he had felt angry about it all on some level, he was too scared right then to be mad. “We go to school together. We’re lab partners.”

Merlin smiled at that revelation though he wasn’t going to repeat what Drake called him. “How…?” He wasn’t even sure how to phrase his question.

“Umm, well see Dad took my phone and I needed Sophia’s number and I knew he stuck it in his desk so I searched it and found a picture.” Will gave him a sheepish look that made it clear he wasn’t supposed to have been doing that.

Merlin looked at him curiously, making a note to inquire if it was the same Sophia from the fight, and wondering what picture Arthur would have kept, and in his desk no less, that would have prompted them to do what they did. “A picture?”

Will blushed slightly and all but whispered his answer. “You were kissing.”

Merlin blushed and looked down at the table while running his hand through his hair, “Oh.”

Will continued, “And then I saw Drake get out of your car so I asked him about it.”

“And then you both cooked up this scheme?” Merlin asked, wondering if Will knew exactly who he was.

“Well, no.” Will hesitated as he gave Merlin a very pensive look. He was willing to confess a certain level of his own misbehavior in the whole deal but he was unwilling to throw Drake under the bus.

Merlin gave him that look that dad’s give that says ‘you might as well confess as I know you did something wrong’ but had to remind himself that this was not the child he had raised and that perhaps he didn’t have a right. Nonetheless he felt the need to be the parental authority at the moment. “As far as I am concerned, I will extend clemency so that I might know the whole truth.”

Will knitted his eyebrows together giving him a rather doubtful expression. “Umm”.

“No one will get in trouble with me.” Merlin supplied.

“He didn’t say what he had to do but he felt guilty about it.” Will bit his lip as he hedged. Merlin merely sipped his tea and waited until he continued. “Drake brought his birth certificate to school and showed it to me.”

Merlin schooled his thoughts as he realized that Drake knew exactly where to find his keys and get into his desk and files. Despite being raised apart it seemed that Will and Drake had quite a lot in common. Not only that but that Will knew exactly who he was.

“So what did it matter if it was me or Drake?” Will asked with guilt realizing it was he who revealed their game.

Merlin took a deep breath. “Drake had scarlet fever as a toddler. It left him with weak kidneys.”

 

Once Arthur had been given a bed, Will was allowed to see him again for a few moments. Merlin, in the meantime, called Geoffrey to come get Will with the promise that Merlin would call him and that he could call if he needed. Geoffrey was, as always, gracious with a “Good to see you again Dr. Emrys.”

Merlin then used his hospital credentials to check up on Arthur as he waited for them to give Drake a bed in pediatrics. He looked to be resting comfortably his face looking much more youthful relaxed in slumber.

 

Merlin kept his eyes on the boy laid out on the bed willing him better with just his presence. Thoughts of his son’s life filled his head, the baby he had brought home, the little boy who loved to dance naked, his first day of school. He let the tears run down his face unbidden. He didn't even look up when the door opened.

Arthur felt his heart in his throat as he looked at Drake laid out in the hospital bed, a large bandage on his head and a cast on his right arm, visible cuts, bruises and swollen face. He looked so young, so small.This was his son, it didn't matter that he hadn't raised him, he loved him. He then took in the look on Merlin's face, the red, puffy eyes, the exhaustion. He sat in the chair next to him taking Merlin's hand in his interlacing their fingers. "He's going to be ok."

Merlin turned to look at Arthur for a moment. "I know but.." His voice caught in his throat.

Arthur squeezed his hand, "Yeah, when that car ran the light and I knew I couldn't stop in time." His voice choked and there were tears in his eyes.

"This wasn't your fault." They sat there quietly for a few minutes before Merlin spoke. "We were wrong Arthur. We should never have done this. "

Arthur's voice was quiet, contemplative, "I know."

Merlin spoke, "Will's a good kid. We had a long talk."

Arthur smiled at him, "I believe that Drake calls him a prat."

"And Will who calls him idiot."

Both of them laughed. "So what now?" Arthur asked.

Merlin squeezed his hand, "We work it out. It will be difficult but I think we can do it."

"It doesn't have to be that hard," Arthur stated with maybe more hope than he should have put into it.

Merlin gave him a slight smile. “No. But it is going to be Arthur. I’m not ready for this to be easy.”

 

After his release from hospital, Arthur went home to think. The last couple of days had been both a fantasy and a nightmare. The car accident and the image of Drake in that hospital bed haunted his dreams. And Merlin consumed his waking thoughts. Seeing him had been a shock and maybe there was a chance he wasn’t thinking clearly, but all he could see was the opportunity to set things right, to try again. Merlin’s words,“I’m not ready for this to be easy” though, had him on the fence. Despite what Merlin said this was really all his fault.

_“Arthur, I don’t understand.” Merlin tried to keep his emotions in check but couldn’t stop himself from sniffling._

_Arthur kept his eyes carefully on the bag he was packing. “I can’t do this anymore.”  
_

_“You mean your father is making you choose,” His words were bitter. “And this isn't good enough, yeah?”_

_Arthur didn’t rise to the bait. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”_

_“Harder than it has to be?” Merlin’s voice was filled with disbelief. His voice rose in volume, “It doesn’t get any harder than this!” He rested his hand on his swollen belly._

_Arthur clenched his jaw, “I will take full financial responsibility.”_

_Merlin tried to not to sound wounded, “But nothing else. I get all that.” He bit at his lip for a moment. “Must be nice to have money to solve all your problems.”_

_Arthur turned to glare at him, his voice angry, “I wasn’t the one who got pregnant.”_

_Merlin glared back, “And I didn’t force you to fuck me.”_

_They stood glaring at one another for a few moments before Arthur stomped out slamming the door behind him._

 

Three days after the accident Geoffrey pulled the car up to the hospital patient loading. It only took a few minutes for Merlin and Drake to turn up. Getting them in the car was another matter. After three tries they finally managed to get Drake and his large awkward arm cast into the first row of back seats. Merlin and Will had to sit together in the far back while Arthur sat in front with his leg cast.

Arthur didn't ask how Geoffrey knew which way to go but it wasn't long before they pulled into the drive of a comfortable looking two story house with a large wooded lot off the back. Geoffrey got out of the car and assisted Arthur while Merlin and Will helped Drake. Ms. Collins met them at the door with a slightly sour look on her face as she held the door open. “Dr. Emrys.” She nodded in his direction as he helped Drake into the house.

“Ms. Collins, this is Arthur Pendragon, Drake’s other father,” Merlin blushed ever so slightly under her glance. She had carefully schooled her face but he got the impression she was disappointed. “And this is my son, Will.”

She smiled tentatively at the boy, “I believe we have already met.”

Will gave her an embarrassed smile but said nothing. “And last but not least, Geoffrey.”

“Nice to meet you sirs.” Ms. Collins nodded at each of the gentlemen. “I have a gnosh prepared along with some tea.”

“I am just going to take Drake up to his room.” Merlin turned to look at Will. “Will, why don’t you get a snack for you and Drake and bring it upstairs?”

Will smiled up at him, “Of course.” He hesitated calling him Da not certain how his dad would feel.

Merlin moved Drake up to his bed and got him as comfortable as he could using extra pillows. He then left him with Will to hang out while he went down to speak with Arthur.

As soon as Merlin left Will gave Drake a guilty look. “I have something to confess.”

“I already know you told.” Drake said easily while he munched on a biscuit.

“Well I kinda didn’t have a choice but I mean about the birth certificate.” Will looked at him apologetically.

“Oh.” Drake gave it a moment’s thought. “Was he mad?”

Will shrugged. “I don’t know but I don’t think so.” He grabbed a biscuit and shoved it into his mouth.

Drake gave him a curious look. “So what do you think they are talking about?”

Will stuffed another biscuit in his mouth. “I don’t know but I don’t think Da likes Dad very much.”

Drake didn’t hesitate. “Maybe we can do something about it.”

 

Merlin came downstairs to find Arthur perched on the couch in his office with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits, all his attention on the phone in his hand. He stood outside the door staring for a moment. Time had been kind to Arthur. His hair still looked shiny and soft, his face unlined and he clearly had been working out. Thoughts of the last time they had been in a room alone together suddenly darkened his mood.

_Merlin had chosen a neutral place. The college. An empty classroom on the fourth floor of the sciences building. There were no classes happening at the time and no offices on the floor. If things got out of hand the only people they would disturb would be random passerbys. He paced nervously. Since when did Arthur make him nervous. How did things get this bad? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door._

_Arthur stepped hesitantly through the door and stared at him for a moment. He cleared his throat before speaking, “I have the paperwork.”_

_Merlin gave him a level gaze trying to keep his emotions in check. “And how has daddy’s lawyer decided to screw me over?”_

_Arthur swallowed and stared for a second before speaking. “It’s simple. You keep one child and I keep the other.”_

_“Oh, so now you are interested? I thought you didn’t want to do this anymore.” Merlin spoke venomously._

_Arthur hesitated for a second before going on. “ We give each other full custodial rights over that child with no rights of visitation. The child I keep gets my last name. The child you keep gets your last name. Long form birth certificates will bear both our names. There is to be no contact except through the attorneys.”_

_“Glad to know I will at least be a footnote.” Merlin’s voice was full of acid._

_Arthur took a deep breath remembering why he had agreed to this, to keep things out of the media and the courts. “You agreed to do this.”_

_“Your dear father has made certain that I have no choice but to agree to this.” Merlin’s voice was angry, challenging._

_Arthur said defensively, “My father is simply looking after my interests.”_

_“By insuring that I have none should I not agree.” If Merlin’s glare was a weapon Arthur would have been dead. He blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes. “Hope it feels good to have me at your mercy because it will be the last time.”_

_“Merlin..”_

_“NO! You don’t have a right to say anything more to me.” The tears he had been trying to hold back streamed down his face. “You already broke my heart and now you are tearing it in two.” Merlin walked up to Arthur and snatched the papers out of his hand. He stood toe to toe with Arthur, his face just a couple of inches away. “Only you Arthur can come. No one else or I will make a stink of this.” He stormed out the door slamming it behind him._

Merlin pushed those thoughts from his head. There was no point anymore. He took a deep breath and entered his office shutting the door behind him. “Are you comfortable?” He gestured toward his leg.

Arthur looked up him. He couldn’t help but notice how handsome Merlin was. At some point over the years he had filled out a bit. His shoulders seemed broader and his face had become more sharply masculine. His large ears had somehow become less prominent and the sharp cheekbones he had so loved had softened. His hair was longer and there was a suggestion of a beard that Arthur liked. He smiled. “Yes, thank you, well, as comfortable as the cast allows me to get.”

Merlin poured himself a cup of tea and sat at the other end of the couch looking thoughtfully at Arthur for a few moments before speaking. “I think it is safe to say we are in violation of the agreement.”

“I don’t care about the agreement.” Arthur spoke quickly.

Merlin looked at him carefully. “I don’t want to spend six months getting to know my son to have him taken again.” He stood up from the couch and paced the room before he stood squarely in front of Arthur. “I won’t let you hurt Will like that and I especially won’t let you hurt Drake.”

Arthur looked contrite. He felt contrite. It had been one of those moments that would haunt him till the day he died. “I can’t tell you how much I regret that and I would never dream of doing it again.”

Merlin wanted to believe he was sincere but inside he still hurt deeply, a betrayal he wasn’t certain he could ever really get over. The wounds might have healed but the scars would always be there along with a pain that he felt he deserved for abandoning his son. He took a sip of tea as he simply stared at Arthur not knowing what to say.

Arthur felt the silence keenly, feeling a need to fill it, to explain even if every word felt completely inadequate and wrong. He was not certain he would ever be able to fully convey the regret he felt. “I was young, scared and stupid and believed my father wanted what was best for me.” His words seemed lame to him, too easy. “I know that doesn’t excuse anything, hell, it sounds stupid and silly to me, but it’s the truth.”

Merlin had no response to that and was spared saying anything by Arthur’s ringing phone. He stood up and went to the window to give Arthur a moment of privacy. He let himself remember as a reminder.

_Merlin had taken his time bathing and dressing both babies, Will in red and Drake in blue. He then fed them, taking what extra time he could with Will. He left Drake to his mother and Gwen so that he could spend every second he could with Will. He was the oldest by 12 minutes and of the two he was the fussier baby, the first one to cry, the first one to demand attention. He liked being rocked, having his head rubbed and being hummed to. He didn’t like it when you just sat and wanted to be held a certain way when he was fed and hated bathes and being undressed. And Merlin had no idea how he was going to let him go. Every bit of him screamed no, but Uther Pendragon held all the cards and Arthur was his chief puppet. He had avoided looking at every clock, he intentionally didn’t listen for the doorbell to ring. For his boy he was trying to be strong, but the truth was he felt like he was made of glass, ready to shatter at any second. And then suddenly Arthur was in the doorway staring at him. “No, I can’t. I’m not ready.” He backed up into babies’ room._

_“Merlin…”_

_Lance stepped around Arthur toward Merlin. “Just relax. Take a deep breath.”_

_Merlin cradled the baby in his arms carefully but tightly, the distress clear in his face. He whispered, “I can’t do this. I love him too much.” The baby in his arms made an odd noise and opened his eyes. He seemed to stare at Merlin as if he somehow knew._

_Lance put a hand on his shoulder but said nothing. Gwen worked her way around Arthur and into the room. “Sweetie, it doesn’t mean you don’t love him.”_

_Hunith with Drake in her arms came up behind Arthur, “Arthur, let’s give them a moment.” After a moment of watching the scene in front of him he followed Hunith the short distance into the main room of the apartment._

_Lance and Gwen stood on either side of Merlin trying to comfort him but knowing in their hearts nothing was going to make this ok. Merlin kept his eyes solely on Will’s trying to memorize his face, trying to tell him how much he loved him, wanted him, didn’t want to let him go. The pain and anxiety were almost too much to bear. Gwen rubbed his back, “If you can’t then don’t.”_

_“But if I don’t he’ll take Drake too and then he’ll drag me through the mud.” Merlin’s voice was filled with anguish. “You don’t know Uther like I do. He’s got more money than god and loves punishing people with the power it brings.”_

_Lance gave him a tight smile. “Maybe I could speak with Arthur.” He didn’t wait to hear what Merlin might say. He walked out of the room to the living room._

_Merlin stared desperately at Gwen, what was left of his heart in his throat. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Will’s forehead as if trying to imprint his love there. After a moment he handed Gwen the baby and made a strangled noise. “Please,” he mouthed the word unable to actually say it. He then followed her out of the bedroom._

_Arthur was stood speaking with Lance when Gwen walked up to him. She whispered, “Don’t drag this out,” as she put the baby in his arms. Will began to cry._

_Merlin rushed forward, “Not like that. He doesn’t like his head down like that. And don’t sway, he likes to be rocked.” He put his hand on Will’s head and rubbed gently._

_Arthur looked at Merlin. If he felt anything about the distress he saw there he kept it to himself. “I will remember. Is there anything I should know?”_

_Merlin let tears run down his face freely. “He hates baths and being naked. And no sitting when you are holding him. He wants to move.”_

_“Thank you.” Arthur said gently. “I will take good care of him.”_

_Lance came up and put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder while Gwen handed Arthur a bag with Will’s things. Merlin kissed Will once more before he was going out the door in Arthur’s arms, his cries waking his brother who added to the cacophony. Merlin moved to follow only to find Lance’s arms around him gently. His grip wasn’t enough to hold him there but Merlin found himself hanging on to Lance as though he was the difference between life and death._

Arthur hung up his phone and watched Merlin standing at the window. The look on his face made it clear to Arthur that he had best be careful. He stood up and ambled toward him as best he could. “What you thinking about?” He meant the question to sound friendly but he could tell from the look on Merlin’s face that they weren’t friends.

The partial lie slipped easily from his lips. “Lance and Gwen. They were due back from France for Christmas but now are unlikely to make it.”

Arthur remembered them well. Gwen with her perky smile and get it done attitude. She was cute and sweet till you crossed her. And Lance, tall, charming, handsome, soft spoken. When their little gang of friends divided up after ..well, Merlin kept Lance and Gwen and by default, Elyan, while Arthur got Leon, now his law partner, Percival and Gwaine. He had seen Lance and Gwen a couple of times before he had moved out of London. Both times he had been out with Will and could swear on a stack of bibles that Will was the only reason Gwen hadn’t murdered him where he stood. “I’m not surprised they are still together.”

Merlin turned and gave Arthur a bittersweet smile. “They live in Paris, have been married for ten years and have two kids, Henry and Anais. They are like the perfect couple.”

“Sounds like Leon and Morgana.” Arthur felt the need to keep the conversation going. “They have one child, Mordred, and Morgana is pregnant.”

“What do you want Arthur?” Merlin looked him in the face trying to figure him out.

Arthur knew better than to say what he really wanted, that he wanted to go back in time and change everything, that he wanted Merlin back in his life, in his arms, in his bed. “I was hoping that we could be friends.”

Merlin turned back to the window for a moment. He took a deep breath. “For Drake and Will I am willing to get along.” He turned back to look Arthur in the eye. “But I meant it Arthur when I said I wasn’t ready for this to be easy. I’m not the same boy you and your father manipulated. As for being friends, we will just have to wait and see.”

Arthur nodded his head as he not only listened to what Merlin said but the way he said it. He could hear the hurt that was his fault. He knew that Merlin in part blamed himself for having agreed, but Arthur had learned the full truth of what his father had threatened and knew he could do it, would do it. As for what he had done, by the time he had come to his senses, stopped listening to Uther and got his own act together it was too late. He had found through the grapevine that Merlin had continued with his training as a doctor, found a girlfriend, moved on with his life. That had been when he decided to move to here, to Albion, to start over. “That sounds more than fair.”

Merlin had turned back to the window. “I won’t in any way interfere with your relationship with Drake and I expect the same courtesy. I do, however, expect you to remember that I am the parent in charge of him as you are of Will.”

Arthur nodded. “Of course.” This wasn’t how he had hoped this conversation would go and yet he got more in return than he expected. He kept his voice as positive as he could. “I appreciate this all more than you know.”

Merlin turned his attention again to Arthur. He looked at him with all the hurt, pain, regret, sorrow and hope he felt. “I am only doing this because I want to know my son. I have never once stopped loving him, stopped worrying about him, wondering if he was safe and happy.” He stopped there not wanting to make this conversation about exacting some sort of emotional castigation.

The rawness of his emotions hit Arthur like a brick wall. Merlin had had a relationship with both boys that he never would, had never felt and would never understand. He wasn’t a carrier though there were times he wished he was so that he could feel that same closeness. “Believe me, I know. I’ve always known.” Merlin merely nodded and let the silence after speak for itself.

Arthur suddenly felt as though he had been dismissed. “I think I better collect Will and head home. I’m sure Drake needs to rest.”

Merlin suddenly felt a little tense at the thought of them leaving. “Will can come and visit anytime he wants and you as well, to see Drake that is.”

“Of course. Thank you.” For the first time in a long time Arthur felt wrong footed and considered that this could possibly be a good thing, to keep him on his toes. He made his way across the office, opened the door and then turned back for a second. “For whatever its worth, I really am sorry and hope that we can make something of this.” He turned and wobbled his way out into hall.

Merlin waited till he heard Geoffrey, Will and Arthur leave before he headed upstairs to check on Drake. He personally was emotionally wrung out but the need to check on Drake outweighed his own tired. He knocked on Drake’s door before he opened it. “Hey Kiddo, just wanted to check on you.”

Drake looked up from where he was sat on the bed, a laptop in his lap. “Hey Da. I’m ok.”

Merlin walked over to the bed and put a hand on the back of his neck, gently rubbing his thumb along his cheek. “No pain?”

Drake shook his head, “I’m still sore but my headache is gone.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He moved to step away. “I was going to take a shower and then I was thinking we could order some take out, maybe watch a movie.”

“That sounds good.” Drake looked at him curiously.

Merlin noted the look on Drake’s face, “Ok, what do you want to know?”

Drake was surprised but he knew his da well enough to know he would answer him. “Why don’t you and d...Arthur like each other?”

Merlin took a deep breath, not expecting that question. “Straight to the point.” He scrubbed his hand across his face. He wanted to be honest but there were some things that Drake and Will didn’t need to know. He tried to quickly come up with words that would placate his son, who he knew would share it with Will, but not tell the whole story. “Arthur and I didn’t separate under the best of circumstances.”

Drake rolled his eyes. “I think that’s kind of obvious.”

Merlin glared at Drake for a second before continuing. “It’s going to take us some time to get to know each other again, but we have talked and have agreed to try.”

“Like how?” Drake looked at him with curious eyes.

Merlin looked at Drake wondering when he had gotten so bold. He decided to put an end to this line of questioning. “We are going to try and that’s all you need to know. Now get some rest.” He left the room before the boy had a chance to ask anything else.

 

Arthur went home and barricaded himself in his office. He knew he was hiding and didn’t care. The day had been hard but he felt more hope than he had in a long time. He unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out his small collection of pictures of Merlin. He stopped at one in particular, one it was a miracle for him to even have. It was of Merlin sat up in a hospital bed holding both his newborn sons. For the first time in a long time he let tears slip from his eyes. He had to make this right.

 

The next two weeks were hard for Merlin. He still had his mornings with Drake but Arthur got both him and Will most evenings. He wasn’t going to deny Drake a chance to get to know Arthur. He also wasn’t about to admit his jealousy but it did eat at him. But two things happened that made things better. The first was that he had passed his first six months evaluation at the A&E and would now be on day shift for the next two months. The second was that Arthur had been summoned to London by Uther for a weekend. Will begged to stay with Merlin. From there things evened out a bit. Merlin had Will and Drake for dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays. Arthur had them for dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That left Friday and Saturday for the boys and their friends. Sunday nights were exclusive with the child that lived with them. It all just seemed to come together and maybe that was when Merlin should have been suspicious the universe was trying to fix a wrong.

 

Arthur had been looking over his schedule trying to figure things out. He had spoken to Merlin exactly three times since their talk, twice over the phone and once over lunch. Each conversation had been polite, cordial but nothing more. It felt more like he was dealing with a business partner as they made arrangements and agreements. But Arthur wanted more. He had meant it when he said he wanted to be friends with Merlin, and if something more could happen well then that would just be icing on the cake. He rationalized that this was for Will and Drake’s sake. They could only benefit if he and Merlin got along so with that in mind he invited Merlin and Drake over for dinner and games.

Arthur did his best to make sure the evening would go well. He had made certain that Ms. Alice followed Merlin’s dietary needs of no dairy and vegetarian and dinner went well with lots of talk and laughing. They then got out some board games. After a bit of arguing that Monopoly was too long and CandyLand too baby they settled on Clue. They quit after Merlin and Arthur each won a game and moved on to Pictionary. (Arthur kept Merlin’s ‘wolfduck’ in his desk for years.) Will and Drake decided they wanted to play Rayman, a game they knew neither Merlin or Arthur played.

Merlin sat at the table in the kitchen watching Arthur put on the kettle for tea. He watched him thoughtfully for a moment thinking how nice the evening had been. He didn’t let himself think about the years of moments like tonight they had missed but instead kept his mind in this moment. He had genuinely enjoyed dinner and playing games together, as a family. “This was fun. We should do it again soon.”

Arthur looked up from where he was pouring hot water into cups. The smile on Merlin’s face made his heart give a small leap of hope. “I agree.” He finished with the cups and brought them over to the table with a plate of biscuits. “I have to say I’m amazed at how well the boys have taken to this whole thing. I mean just a few weeks ago they were fighting over a girl. I suppose we might see a bit more of that in the future.”

Merlin took a sip of his tea and looked at Arthur over his cup. “Yeah, about that. Mind you, I am only telling you because I think you need to know but Drake isn’t that interested in girls.”

Arthur looked carefully at Merlin. They were having an actual parenting moment and he was beyond thrilled. “I will keep that in mind.”

“I am trusting you to keep that to yourself.” Merlin gave him a serious look. “I’m sure he hasn’t told anyone else and that includes Will.”

“Of course. I would never.” Arthur set his cup down. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that you’ve done an excellent job with him. He’s a bright, articulate and thoughtful boy and I think he has been having a good effect on Will, making him more conscientious, responsible.“

Merlin smiled. “I think Will is having a good effect on Drake as well. Will is incredibly confident and fearless. I can only assume that is your doing. And the effect it is having on Drake has been really good. He’s been more outgoing and vocal.”

Arthur smirked. “I have heard the vocal part, prat and posh wanker?”

Merlin merely chuckled over his tea.

Arthur shook his head slightly and changed topics. “Oh, the boys have the last Friday in November off and I was thinking about taking them to the British Museum. They have an exhibit on medieval weaponry, armor, etc. Will was so interested in that stuff he took up fencing and learned to ride.”

“I know Drake would like that although his interest has been more on the literature, historical happenings along with tales of wizards and dragons and such.”

Arthur intentionally looked at the table rather than Merlin. “I was wondering if you would like to go with us.”

Merlin munched on the biscuit in his hand thoughtfully. A day with Arthur wasn’t exactly what he wanted but he hadn’t lied when he had said tonight was fun. He had been standoffish, treating this like a business arrangement but he knew in his heart that his boys needed more. “Yeah, I’m sure I can get the day off. It sounds like fun.”

 

Merlin looked over at the boys in the back seat. They were just over a half hour into the two hour car ride home and both had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but smile to see them together. The day had been long as they had arrived at the museum when it opened at ten and stayed till it closed at half eight. They hadn’t spent the whole day in the medieval exhibits but a good portion. There had been, of course, the requisite visit to the gift shop. He laughed to himself as he thought about it. Arthur had been as bad as the boys and had spoiled them rotten.

Arthur looked across the front seat at Merlin noticing the smile on his face. “What’s so amusing?”

“Just that you were as bad as the boys.” Merlin looked over at him.

Arthur pretended to bristle at that. “I was just having a good time.”

Merlin just continue to smile. “Uh hunh.”

Arthur was suddenly defensive. “What? I can’t have fun.”

“I didn’t say that.” Merlin teased. “It’s just that you were like a kid in a candy shop.”

Arthur wasn’t really sure how to take what Merlin said. He tried to keep his tone light. “Well sorry if you didn’t like it.”

“I never said I didn’t like it.” Merlin said quickly and then looked toward the window when he realized what he had said. His brain glared at his traitorous heart. ‘You aren’t supposed to like that. Remember what he did.’ The thing was though that he had enjoyed today. He had actually liked spending time with Arthur. After all, Arthur was more than just the good looking kid from his youth that had screwed him over. He was smart, funny and didn’t care if others saw him acting like a kid with his boys. The problem wasn’t that he didn’t like Arthur, it was that he didn’t know if he could trust him, at least as far as he personally was concerned.

The tension in the car was palpable to Arthur. They had had a moment to which he felt elated but he could see that it was costing Merlin something. He decided to change the subject. “I was thinking after we had lunch the other day that we should try to do that on a regular basis.”

Merlin was a little suspicious, “A regular basis?”

“Yes. Get together to talk about the boys, compare notes, plans, etc.” Arthur did his best to make it sound like he was scheduling a business meeting.

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He wanted to be accommodating and do right by the boys. He had to grudgingly agree that it was a good idea, still. “Yeah. I think that would be a good idea.”

The conversation sort of came to halt at that point and they rode for a while just listening to the radio. Merlin had said they weren’t friends and so Arthur didn’t feel like he could just ask questions but he decided there were some things he should ask, even though they were personal. He decided to start small. “So, how’s your mother?”

Merlin looked at Arthur oddly thinking that was a question a bit out of left field. “She’s fine. She still lives in Ealdor. She remarried a couple of years ago. His name is Tom. Nice guy. I don’t worry about her as much since.”

“I’m glad to hear that. She deserves to be happy.”

Merlin nodded. He really didn’t want to inquire about Uther but in the spirit of polite conversation he asked. “And how is your father?” He did resist calling him Captain Evil.

“As evil as always.” Arthur gave him a measured look. “He’s been pushing me to get married.”

Merlin would never admit that he was curious. “Does he have her already picked out?”

Arthur laughed lightly. “He has given up on that a bit. He has been pushing on me to ask Elena.”

“Elena?”

“She’s a close friend as well as my cousin Mithian’s girlfriend though he doesn’t know that part.” Arthur offered. “She has accompanied me to events on occasion.”

“Oh,” Merlin nodded. “So then you aren’t seeing anyone?” He felt the conversation was leading him in that direction, that Arthur wanted him to ask.

Arthur paused speaking for a moment as he shifted lanes and exited the motorway. It also gave him a moment to think about Merlin’s question. Was he fishing or just making conversation? “Not for a couple of years.” He wasn’t about to admit to having a fuck buddy although they hadn’t seen each other since summer.

Merlin wasn’t sure what to say so he said nothing, waiting for Arthur to ask the same question. He didn’t care if it was just luck or Arthur’s choice, but they pulled up to Merlin’s house before more could be said. “This was really fun. Thanks Arthur.”

Arthur smiled at him. “I’m glad you could come. I really enjoyed today. I will text you about lunch.”

“Sounds good.” Merlin got out, opened the back door and kissed Will on the head before maneuvering Drake out of the back seat.

 

They had met for lunch once a week to talk about the boys mostly and had even had another game night. It had all been good and somehow, Merlin decided, that Pendragon closeness had robbed him of his good judgment because here it was Christmas Eve and he was getting out of the car in front of Morgana and Leon’s house. He sensed Morgana’s planning in all this, knew she had to know he would never go to Uther’s ever again and hoped she had the good sense not to invite him. He wouldn’t have come here except that Drake and Will had both asked.

Morgana pulled the heavy wooden door open before he could ring the bell. She threw her arms around Merlin and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s really good to see you.” She then whispered, “And you don’t have to worry about Captain Evil.” She pulled back and winked. “Arthur and Will are already here.”

Merlin couldn’t help but smile at her exuberance. He had always liked Morgana, her sense of style and courage and the way she put Uther through hell. “It’s good to see you too Morgana.” He then turned to the boy stood slightly behind him. “I want you to meet my son Drake.”

Drake waved and said, “Hi.”

Morgana wasn’t going to take a simple hi. “Oh come here and greet your Aunt Morgana properly.” She pulled the boy into a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. “Your brother and cousin are playing video games upstairs until the other guests arrive.”

Drake gave her a big grin, “Thanks,” and took off.

Merlin followed Morgana into the house which she had decorated expensively but tastefully for the holidays. The food was good. The guests were nice and mostly unknown to Merlin. And the two besides Leon, Morgana and Arthur that did know who he was said nothing. The evening was enjoyable and it was clear Morgana had gone out of her way to make sure he and Drake felt welcome. He was grateful beyond relief and made sure she knew before he left. Arthur and Will were staying so that they could visit Uther in the morning. They had asked Drake to accompany them but his one experience with the man while pretending to be Will had scared him. Merlin was, of course, on his side.

Arthur had felt the holidays had gone extremely well so far but that was before Christmas day. Somehow Uther had learned of Arthur’s contact with Merlin and really he should have known better. Uther had more contacts than the governments of the world combined. He, of course, didn’t let on until he had managed to get Arthur alone. Uther had contacted the lawyers who had drawn up the original agreement and demanded to know how much that “charity boy” wanted from him. They could sue and put him in his place. Arthur walked out determined more than ever to get what he had lost.

Christmas slid quickly toward New Year’s and for the first time in a long time Merlin felt things really looking up. He would have liked to have visited his mother but she said she was happy for him to spend his time with Will and Drake.

As low man on the ladder, Merlin was one of the four trauma surgeons assigned to work New Year’s Eve. Will and Drake managed to talk Arthur into allowing use of his basement for a boy/girl party and Merlin agreed as long as there was an adult. Arthur talked his law intern into overseeing it in exchange for use of his big screen for a Dr. Who marathon. Arthur mentioned attending a client’s party but didn’t mention it was for the hospital. So when Arthur turned up in the A&E with two glasses in hand just before midnight dressed in a tuxedo Merlin was a bit stunned. It was just Arthur’s luck that he didn’t have a patient. As Arthur approached Merlin looked at him but before he could say anything, Arthur spoke. “It’s non-alcoholic.”

Merlin smiled, “Thank you.”

Arthur smiled in return. “I just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year.” He held up his glass as others in the A&E began a countdown to midnight. Before Merlin could get the glass to his lips Arthur leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss which he found himself automatically returning. “Happy New Year Merlin,” he said in a deep voice before walking away.

Merlin stared at him for a second before saying, “Happy New Year Arthur” as he walked away.

 

Merlin had managed to avoid Arthur for close to two weeks after New Years until the boys called him on it. So it was either explain or see Arthur. Despite his head screaming every warning he agreed to a family night out of dinner and a movie. They talked, they laughed, they had a great time and Merlin’s brain again cursed his traitorous heart. He wasn’t supposed to let Arthur back in, he wasn’t supposed to forgive him. But some part of Merlin had been thinking about what Arthur had said. “I was young, scared and stupid and believed my father wanted what was best for me.” He remembered clearly how Arthur had been desperate for any kind of affection from Uther, how much he wanted to please him, have Uther simply acknowledge him in some positive way. And he wondered if in some ways Arthur had been just as much a pawn as he had been. He didn’t ask and he didn’t want to know what things Uther had threatened him with.

Merlin returned to having lunch weekly with Arthur and January gave way to February. The boys managed to talk their way into having another girl/boy party for Valentine’s Day. This time, however, Arthur was the one stuck being the chaperone. He guilted Merlin into joining him.

Both Will and Drake were frustrated with their lack of success. They both would have to admit they hadn’t done a lot to push their dads together but they had tried, suggesting some things they could do, places they could go. And though they hadn’t gone for all their ideas, they had gone for a few. They had made comments and asked questions. They still didn’t know what had broken them apart but they were determined to get them back together. Their latest idea was having a Valentine’s Day party. All they needed to do was get them together, alone.

The party was in full swing. Arthur had made certain that all the bedrooms upstairs were locked as well as his office and game room downstairs. All the others had no nooks and crannies to hide in although there were a few closets which he and Merlin were checking regularly.

Will drifted by Drake, “You ready?”

“Yeah. Everyone is set.” Will smirked at him. “They are just waiting for us.”

Drake suddenly looked concerned. “And you are sure this will work?”

“Yeah. We accidentally did it on purpose last summer.” Will assured him.

Drake gave him an odd look. “Oookaayy. Dad is in the kitchen. When he heads back in here.” He tried to sound confident.

Will looked around, “Where is Da?”

Drake had to laugh, “Going round to make sure no one is in any of the closets.”

Arthur walked into the living room and Will and Drake separated like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Will looked over to Ethan and gave him the signal. Ethan, Forridel, Daegel, Ewan, Oswald and Gilli each turned on an item they had been assigned to. The house lights flashed for a moment and then the whole place went dark and quiet. They each then turned off the item they had turned on and moved away.

Arthur looked up at the lights and gritted his teeth. “Great” was the only word that came out of his mouth. Will immediately came up to him. “Dad?”

Arthur turned on his best smile. “Don’t worry. I will go check the breakers.” He headed into the kitchen to get a flashlight and head to the basement.

Drake was in the kitchen pulling out a flashlight that they had specifically set up to have just enough power to get down the basement stairs. “Here you go Dad.”

Arthur smiled at Drake. He had decided that he never wanted to get used to hearing the boy call him that. “Thanks. I’ll just go check the breaker.” He headed down the basement stairs.

Will drifted into the kitchen and looked at Drake. “Did he go down?”

Drake nodded just as Merlin entered the kitchen, flashlight in hand. They couldn’t have timed it better. He looked at both boys, “Where’s your Dad?” Just at that moment a curse could be heard coming from the basement. “I think that answers my question.” Merlin, of course, went to check it out.

Drake and Will smiled to each other as they heard Merlin go down the basement stairs. “Arthur, you ok?”

Arthur’s voice drifted up, “Yeah. It’s just my flashlight died.”

The boys closed the basement door as quietly as they could and locked it. They whipped out a sign they had made and posted it on the door although they had already told everyone to stay out of the kitchen. Both Drake and Will set a timer of 1 hour on their phones and exited the kitchen with smirks on their faces.

Merlin turned on his flashlight as soon as he entered the basement. “I take it the main breaker is out?”

Arthur cursed again as he banged his shin against a box. “I think so.”

As he got to the bottom of the stairs Merlin shined his light across the basement. Arthur wasted no time moving to the breaker box and flipping on the main. The lights came on and they could hear the music as well as a loud “yeah” come through the ceiling. “Other than this, I can honestly say that this party has been going well.”

Merlin nodded. “Yeah, they are still young enough to not know what they are doing. I’ve only caught one couple in the coat closet.”

Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked back across the basement. “Oh to be young and innocent.”

Merlin turned to go back up the stairs. He looked up to see the door closed. “Or not so innocent. I think we have been set up.”

Arthur looked up to the door as well. “We should still try it anyways.” Merlin went up the stairs and shook his head after trying the door. “How long do you think they will leave us down here?”

“An hour. That’s long enough for us to be mad but not enough to send everyone home.” Arthur remarked.

Merlin swallowed down whatever nervousness or anxiety he felt at being alone with Arthur. He shuffled back down the stairs and looked around for a place to sit.

“Is it so bad to be stuck down here with me?” Arthur kept his voice soft, neutral.

Merlin looked up at him. The Kiss from New Years whipped through his thoughts. “No.”

“You do know what they are doing?” Arthur queried, wondering if he had been getting similar questions and comments. He had wanted to ask but was hesitant to pressure the other man.

Merlin’s blush answered Arthur’s question. “They are a bit obvious.”

Arthur looked at him still trying to keep it neutral but somehow conveying more than he hoped. “Is that such a bad thing?”

Merlin felt his stomach lurch with fear. Since the kiss he knew this was coming and the truth was it scared the hell out of him. “What am I supposed to say Arthur? You hurt me in a way I had thought I would never get over.”

Arthur nodded as a rush of shame and guilt washed over him. “A couple of years after that I finally got up what it took to tell my father off. I realized what I had thrown away. I knew Elyan was still in contact. He told me you had found someone and were happy so I moved here to start over.”

Merlin was wondering where he was going with this. “And did that make you happy?”

“In a way, yes.” Arthur started to pace a little bit. “Leon and I started our own firm, I had my own home and life out from under my father’s thumb. I finally stopped caring if he was proud of me. I’ve since figured out that he just keeps raising the hoop he wants me to jump through.”

Merlin knitted his brows. “Why are you telling me this?”

Arthur stopped in front of him. “Because despite all I have, my successes personal and professional, there was always still this missing thing in my life. I tried a few times to fill it but nothing worked.”

Merlin watched him, looking for any sign of deception and found none. He said nothing waiting for Arthur to continue.

“I was missing you Merlin. And no matter how hard I try to respect your wishes, I still want you. I was such an idiot and a dupe because I threw it all away. You were the best I ever had Merlin, and until I saw you again I thought I would just go without as some small part of my penance.”

Merlin was silent for a moment as he took a deep breath. “I suppose I should be moved by that and I am but…” He stopped speaking and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. His heart and brain were engaged in a shouting match.

Arthur laid a hand gently on Merlin’s forearm. “Tell me.” He braced himself for Merlin to tell him to piss off.

Merlin opened his eyes and looked at Arthur. Really looked at him noticing the look of fear, anxiety, anticipation? in his eyes. “I don’t know...” His voice broke with emotion.

Arthur felt his heart drop into his feet. It didn’t matter how horrible he felt about what he had done, what acts of contrition he did if Merlin couldn’t trust him. He carefully took Merlin’s hands in his, kissing each one in turn. “I am truly sorry and I will do anything it takes to prove to you that I was the biggest idiot in the world.”

Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hands and gave him a little smile. “I have no problem believing you as the biggest idiot.”

Arthur took a deep breath as a little blossom of hope bloomed in his chest. “Will you let me try?”

Merlin felt a cold wave go down his spine. He had let his heart win the argument but he could hear his brain ready to yell ‘I told you so’. “Yes.” Arthur leaned in and kissed him gently, tentatively. Merlin pressed back with a bit more confidence.

Once they came up for air Merlin quickly spoke, “We don’t tell them, not yet.”

Arthur nodded, “Agreed.”

 

When Arthur felt frustrated that things were going slow he simply reminded himself of that day he took Will from Merlin.

They had started very small. A couple more lunch dates a week. A few more nights out with the boys and somehow Sunday had become family dinner night. There was some hand holding and a lot of kissing, slow, gentle kissing just for kissing’s sake but they kept it very quiet. Merlin was adamant that the boys not know. But as February passed into March and then into April things seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace and Arthur found himself with doubts. He knew he was fortunate to just be getting this opportunity to be with Merlin and that in truth it hadn’t been that long but he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to gain his trust. He had refused all attempts for a date night worried that word would get around. It didn’t help that Arthur’s fuck buddy Drew had contacted him hoping for a casual rendezvous. Last summer he reminded him. He hadn’t been this long without something for a few years. The no was easy though. He wasn’t going to give up what he had worked so hard for. That was when he knew he would wait forever. And almost as though the universe had acknowledged and accepted his sacrifice it offered him an opportunity though Arthur would never see it that way.

Will and Drake’s 12th birthday wasn’t a big grand affair but Merlin and Arthur did at least try to make it special as it was the first one they were celebrating together. There were going to be two parts. The second part was for the kids, really just an excuse to have another girl/boy party. The first part was going to be a simple family party. Leon and Morgana with Mordred and their new daughter, Kara. Hunith and her husband Tom were bringing her father who went by the name Dragoon. Merlin had extended an invitation to Gwen and Lance but he honestly didn’t think they would come. Arthur had sent an invitation to Uther and his latest girlfriend, Katie, Caitlin, Catrina, but he didn’t expect to see him either after he had walked out at Christmas.

Merlin pulled his car up into the driveway at Arthur’s. He hopped out and went around to help his grandfather from the car only to be greeted by a cane. Dragoon might look like he is 800 years old with his long white hair and heavily wrinkled face, but he was sharp as a tack and could move faster than anyone else Merlin knew who used a cane. It took the group that included Drake, Hunith and Tom only a moment to pile out of the car and make their way into the house where they were greeted by Geoffrey, Ms. Alice and Will.

Hunith immediately moved over to Will and drew him into a grandmotherly hug that included too much perfume. “Oh it is so good to see you.”

Dragoon’s voice sounded as ancient as he looked. “Be careful you don’t suffocate him before I get to meet him.”

Will pulled back and looked at the old man and then at Merlin and Drake. “Will, this is my grandfather. Dragoon meet Will.” Merlin stood back for a second. “And don’t hit him with your cane.”

Dragoon stared at him for a moment before giving him a wicked grin. “They look the same. How can you tell them apart?” Both Will and Drake giggled.

Arthur chose that moment to enter the room with Morgana, Leon, Kara and Mordred in tow. He immediately made his way to Hunith. He took her hand and kissed it as he said, “Dear lady, it is always a pleasure to see you.”

Dragoon whacked Arthur across the bum with his cane. “That’s my daughter you’re slobbering over.”

Merlin, Will, Drake and Mordred laughed as Arthur jerked up and turned his attention to the old man. “Dragoon, good as ever to see you.” He patted the man on the shoulder.

Embarrassed, Hunith immediately turned her attention to Morgana and the baby and they disappeared to leave the men folk to do whatever with an admonishment not to bring down the house. Merlin in turn introduced Tom to Arthur and Leon. They were all gathered casually talking when Uther made an appearance, his usual formal self though he wasn’t wearing his ubiquitous grey suit. Arthur wasn’t sure if he was more shocked to see his father in something that for Uther would be considered casual (read this to mean dress pants with a tie and jumper) or that he had actually put in an appearance at all.

Merlin made a point of simply avoiding/ignoring Uther by seeing to Dragoon. The old man, for once, allowed his grandson to use him as an excuse to avoid the senior Pendragon though he did intend to make him pay. “I am not so old that I can’t get around.” He attempted to swat Merlin with his cane but intentionally missed.

It wasn’t long before the group found themselves seated at the table. They were rather subdued as Uther seemed to dominate them until Dragoon decided to ask him, “What’s up with the stick in your..” Merlin had successfully gotten a hand over his grandfather’s mouth but not before everyone laughed at the look on Uther’s face. There was nothing for Uther to do but take it in stride as dressing down an elderly man at least 20 years your senior would have been too unseemly.

After that things loosened up and a good time seemed to be had by all. They laughed and talked over spaghetti and meatballs the way a family should. Even Uther seemed to relax and make a few jokes here and there. Drake and Will reveled in the attention while Arthur and Merlin marveled at the effort put forth by the parties to get along.

As the festivities began to wind down, Merlin took a few moments to step into Arthur’s office to make a quick phone call. He was technically on call that evening but he wasn’t first or even second in line but he still wanted to check if things had been quiet and so far so good. After he hung up he turned to find Uther standing in the office and unbeknownst to the two of them, Geoffrey in the hall listening at the door that was slightly ajar.

Uther’s voice was measured and calm. “I understand that you are a trauma surgeon at the local A&E.”

Merlin knew that voice. It was meant to lure you into a false feeling that this is friendly. It sent cold shivers down his spine but Merlin was no longer that boy easily intimidated by Captain Evil. The question for him at the moment was could he stop himself from grabbing one of the swords off the wall of Arthur’s office. “Yes, for a year as of next month.”

Uther smiled. Merlin blinked at the terrifying site. “I am sure your mother and grandfather are proud.”

“I am sure they are,” Merlin said carefully.

Uther had stepped forward touching something on Arthur’s desk. “A case of charity boy makes good.”

Merlin looked at him defiantly. “I am not ashamed for having been on the receiving end of charity. I worked hard and obviously didn’t squander it.”

 

Geoffrey, standing outside the door, had heard enough. He immediately moved quickly through the house to find Arthur.

The first thought through Arthur’s mind was that there were real medieval weapons in his office albeit a bit dull. He excused himself and made his way through the house to his office.

 

Uther glanced up at Merlin with big eyes, his voice still that same measured calm. “It is tragic though that breeding always shows through.”

Merlin was getting irritated as he wanted to return to the party. “Yes, well sorry to have disturbed your in-breeding program.”

Uther continued clearly wanting to get in his licks. “Ahh, intellectual humor from the charity boy. I am sure your friends would be amused.”

“Well at least I know the people around me like and respect me for who I am and not out of fear of what I might do.” Merlin was just thinking he should end this conversation. It didn’t serve him or anyone else to rile Uther.

Uther finally stood directly in front of Merlin in an attempt to be intimidating. “If you think I am going to let you and that whelp of yours worm your way back into Arthur’s life, you have another thing coming.”

Merlin had been about to speak when Arthur’s voice cut through the air like a sword as he stepped in to his office. “That whelp, as you so charmingly put it, is my son. And if I have to choose between him and you, I choose him.”

Uther quickly covered the surprise of being caught. He turned to face his son, “Arthur, you already have a son. You don’t need this other boy or him.” He gestured toward Merlin as he said the word him like it was the most disgusting thing.

Arthur felt a surge of rage. He suddenly realized that it wasn’t sufficient to simply be out from under his father’s thumb. That Uther’s need to be right, to be in control was never going to let him be, that he had already tried to destroy this before and he would try again. He spoke as he crossed the room to stand next to Merlin. “As a matter of fact, I need them, I need them both.”

Uther tried to appeal to Arthur’s protective instincts as a parent. “You need to be thinking about Will. He is your son and you need to protect him from those who would bring him down.”

“I am thinking about Will.” Arthur turned to look at Merlin for a moment and take his hand. “About how much he needs people who love him for who he is, not tolerate him because of his DNA.”

Uther’s calm demeanor started to give. “You are making a big mistake!”

“I am not afraid as I have already made several big mistakes.” Arthur turned his attention to the tall, dark haired man beside him. “The second worst was giving up Drake. The first was giving up Merlin.”

It was clear from the tone of Uther’s voice that he knew he was losing. “Arthur, you need to see reason.”

The smile on Merlin’s face started in his toes and went all the way to the top of his head as he looked at his knight in shining armor. Arthur basked in that look. “No, what I need is for you to leave and not come back until you can apologize and accept the people I love.”

Uther’s demeanor changed immediately and his voice was cold and angry. “You will regret this Arthur.”

Merlin suddenly felt nervous. He may not have ever liked Uther but he would never have asked Arthur to give up his father. “Are you sure about this?”

“I regret not doing it sooner.” It was clear he wasn’t talking to Uther anymore as he leaned forward and kissed Merlin. They both ignored Uther’s huff as he stormed out slamming the front door behind him.

Merlin and Arthur exited Arthur’s office to a front hall full of curious people staring at them. Drake and Will exchanged a high five as they saw that their dads were holding hands. Dragoon was the only one to speak, “About damn time.”

After a bit Hunith, Tom & Dragoon along with Leon and Morgana’s daughter returned to Merlin’s house for the evening. Leon, Morgana, Merlin and Arthur then prepped for the boys evening party with their friends. Fortunately, twelve was still young enough for them to send everyone home at 11. After some debate, Will, Drake & Mordred were then allowed to camp out in the tv room as long as they kept it down. Exhausted after the long day, the adults headed upstairs to bed.

Merlin retired to his guest room and changed into a tee shirt and pajama bottoms. He was tired but the events of the day kept playing through his head. Arthur hadn’t just said he wanted him but that he needed him. And if he were to admit the truth he needed Arthur. Before he had a chance to overthink it he found himself at Arthur’s door. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Arthur smiled. “Come in and perhaps I can help you.”

Merlin stepped through the door several steps and turned to face him, nervously. “I wanted to know if what you said earlier was true.”

Arthur closed the door and turned to look at him thoughtfully. “I said a lot of things. Could you be more specific?”

Merlin laughed lightly. “True.” He took a step closer to Arthur and licked his lips. He tried to hide the nervousness in his voice but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. “When you said you needed me.”

Arthur stepped forward so that he stood directly in front of Merlin, taking his hands in his. He looked directly into Merlin’s beautiful blue eyes as he spoke. “Yes. I meant it. I need you and giving you up was the worst mistake I ever made.” He kissed each of Merlin’s hands in turn. “I love you Merlin.”

Merlin felt a smile rising from his toes through his body to shine on his face as he stood there speechless. He wasn’t ready to say he loved Arthur but he was ready to try. He knew what Arthur wanted and if he was honest, he wanted it to. It was so easy to lean forward and press a chaste kiss to Arthur’s mouth, to put his nervous hands on his waist, shoulder. He felt uncertain and it showed in the way he held himself, held Arthur.

Arthur felt the tentative slide of Merlin’s hands, the tension in him. He opened his mouth to the kiss, meeting Merlin’s tongue, hands pulling Merlin into his hold, “Are you sure?” Merlin whispered “Yes” into his lips as he kissed him passionately.

They moved slowly together with gentle, unhurried touches. Fingertips lightly across a jaw, lips and teeth nipping an earlobe, a hand massaging a shoulder then moving down an arm to thumb lightly inside a wrist.

Arthur kissed his way down Merlin’s neck to nibble at the hollow of his throat delighting in the soft moans it elicited. Slowly as though not wanting to startle him, he slid his hand underneath Merlin’s shirt to feel the warmth of his bare skin. He danced his fingers lightly up his spine till he felt a shiver and heard his name.

Merlin’s breathy moan of his name went straight to Arthur’s cock. Months of going without reared its ugly head but Arthur reined himself back. He wanted to take his time, to show Merlin how much he cared for him, how much he loved him. His problem though was his cock wasn’t getting the message.

Merlin put his hands on Arthur’s face pulling him up to kiss him passionately, to suck on his lower lip, graze it with his teeth. He pulled him close, closer, his hands trying to touch everywhere at once only to stop as he found Arthur’s very noticeable erection. He felt a sudden need to see Arthur, all of Arthur, to touch him, to make this real. “I want to see you,” he said between kisses.

Arthur took a half step back to pull his shirt off. Merlin let his fingers trace the curves of his muscles and rake through the soft golden down on his chest as he worked his way down to the waistband of Arthur’s sleep pants. He pushed them down to free the hard cock hidden inside. Merlin grasped him sweeping a thumb over the slit. Arthur made a filthy sound that nearly made Merlin cum in his pants.

Before he knew what happened Merlin had his shirt and pants off. He and Arthur were laying on the floor with his legs around Arthur’s, erections straining against each other, mouths pressed together. Arthur came first pulling Merlin so tight against him it seemed they were going to merge. The hot feel of Arthur’s cum on Merlin’s belly, oozing down between his legs to pool in his crease sent him over the edge.

After a few moments Merlin pushed up at Arthur’s shoulders. His voice was deep and raspy when he spoke, “Bed.” Arthur obeyed without question, a smile on his face. He stood, helped Merlin to his feet and handed him one of his dirty shirts before he climbed in bed, keeping his eyes on Merlin the whole time.

Merlin wiped himself quickly then kneeled on the bed and sat back on his heels admiring the view. Arthur was gorgeous with a crown of dark blond hair and mischievous blue eyes, his wonderfully pouty pink mouth all kiss swollen, his perfectly crooked teeth. He had broad shoulders and a muscular chest, a flat belly with a trail of hair leading to his cock. His beautiful, long, fat cock already rising again from a wreath of gold between his thighs. He licked his lips as he watched him get comfortable.

Arthur reached out his hand to take Merlin’s and pull him close, to nuzzle at his neck, inhale his scent, feel his heartbeat, taste his mouth. He kissed soft whispers of want, need, desire, passion and love into every inch of Merlin’s skin. He started at his collarbones and worked his way down his chest stopping at his nipples to feast on the dark pink nubs making Merlin squirm and moan. He dipped his tongue into his belly button making him giggle lightly.

Merlin ran his fingers through Arthur’s hair and down the sides of his face. He played his fingers over Arthur’s neck and ears pulling gently at the lobes, tickling at the shell. He made it clear he wanted Arthur to continue his downward path.

Arthur followed the dark line of hair down his stomach. He purposely ignored the mostly hard cock that stood up from a nest of dark curls. He nipped, sucked and kissed his hips and thighs making Merlin moan and thrash with need. He slapped at Merlin’s hand each time he tried to take his cock in hand while he used his tongue and tickly fingers to play with the backs of his knees and ankles.

Unable to take anymore, Merlin pleaded, “Arthur please touch me.”

“Since you said please.” Arthur pushed and prodded till he lay between Merlin’s legs. He pressed his nose against the hair and flesh taking in the unique scent that was Merlin mixed with his own. He ran his fingers through the soft bush at the base of his cock and his nails lightly down the insides of his thighs. Reveling in the ragged breaths and sighs, he dragged his tongue over his balls and up the underside of his cock to the dark pink head.

Merlin moaned and jerked his hips up. “Arthur …please.” His voice was desperate and raspy.

Arthur used his weight to hold Merlin down as he put his lips over the head and slowly sucked him into the heat of his mouth till the it touched the back of his throat.

Merlin felt flushed and sweaty, eyes half lidded, mouth hanging open as he whined and moaned. Arthur’s mouth was so hot, so wet, such a tease. He tried to thrust his hips but had to settle for grabbing Arthur’s hair and pulling.

Arthur felt his hair pulled and looked up. The sight of Merlin nearly had him humping the bed. He slowly pulled him all the way back out till just tip was between his lips. He licked and sucked at the head and played with his balls till he heard a growl. He slipped a finger down Merlin’s taint to his crease.

Merlin was at the edge of frustration as Arthur played with him until Arthur slipped a finger in to his arse crease.

Arthur felt Merlin tense and tighten himself. He pulled back and looked up at him out of concern he had crossed a line. “We don’t have to if you don’t…”

“No..I mean I do..it’s just..well..I haven’t, I mean I haven’t been celibate I just haven’t done that since..” Arthur moved up the bed and kissed him to stop the babbling. The thought that the only person Merlin had ever bottomed for was him sent a surge of excitement and possession through him. “Then we’ll just go slow. Ok?” Merlin nodded as he kissed Arthur.

Arthur got a condom and lube from the side table. He kissed Merlin passionately as he used one, then two, and finally three fingers to open him up. He curled his fingers up until he could touch that magical spot and rubbed over and over again until Merlin was a red, sweaty mess writhing on Arthur’s hand and begging.

Merlin had never felt so ready, so needy to be filled with a hot cock, to be fucked.

Arthur rolled on a condom and slicked himself up a bit more before he put a pillow under Merlin’s hips and lined himself up. And then he was pushing in, slowly, so slowly.

Merlin hissed as Arthur breached him, the slow, slick slide so intense a mixture of pain and pleasure he thought he might melt.

Merlin was tight, so tight and hot that it almost had Arthur coming undone. When he was finally all the way in he had to hold still to keep from losing it right there. He buried his face in the crook of Merlin’s neck and sucked at the skin there and listened to Merlin pant to distract himself.

Merlin moved his hands down Arthur’s back. “Move Arthur,” he whispered. “Please.”

Arthur thrust in and out slowly, working hard to be gentle, careful, loving. Merlin had other ideas as he slid his hands over the swell of Arthur’s ass and squeezed. He begged for harder, faster meeting each thrust until he felt the fire at the base of his spine spread over his body. He grasped at Arthur’s shoulders and keened as he came untouched. Arthur shuddered as Merlin clenched when he came, pulling Arthur over the edge with him.

Arthur poured all he could into the kiss he gave Merlin before he pulled out. He removed the condom, wiped them down with a towel and then pulled Merlin close. He hadn’t felt so sated, so satisfied, so happy in a long time.

Merlin snuggled close to Arthur savoring the warmth and closeness. He felt safe in Arthur’s arms and fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

Merlin awoke early the next morning to a heavy arm holding him protectively against the warm body curled around him, hot puffs of breath against the back of his neck. He needed to get up. He wasn’t ready for the boys to see them together like this but it felt so good, some comfortable. He snuggled down and let himself bask at being in Arthur’s arms until he had not choice but to get up.

Merlin and Arthur didn’t exactly announce they were together again but they slowly dropped the facade. It was the little things. A peck on the lips when coming to visit, a moment of standing very, very close while making dinner, whispers of promises when they thought the boys weren’t looking, snuggling close while watching a movie though they were still careful not to be overt in front of the boys.

As spring gave way to summer Arthur and Merlin found themselves more and more in each other’s company. The nights that each had with both boys now often included the other. And more often than not they spent weekends together. They had even had a few date nights without the boys. The only thing Merlin wouldn’t allow was for either him or Arthur to spend the night. As far as Arthur was concerned things were moving toward perfect.

As far as Merlin was concerned, he was still plagued by doubts. He could see that Arthur was genuinely trying his best to prove he had changed. And things were good. They were spending lots of time together, dinner most nights, weekends and even a trip to the shore. It was wonderful but he found himself on occasion wondering when it was all going to fall apart, when Arthur was going to decide he couldn’t do this anymore, that he could have something better.

Somehow the month of June had been eating at him. At first he thought it was the stress of changes at work coupled with his insecurities. He was tired, achy and had developed a sensitive stomach. But then it hit him, he had missed his flow and couldn’t remember if he had noticed it the prior month.

It was a Tuesday night. Arthur had a late business meeting and Will was with Sophia. Ms. Collins had been given the night off leaving just Merlin and Drake. While Drake watched TV Merlin had shut himself in his bathroom. He had barely managed a few bites of dinner and what he did get down didn’t stay. And to top it off he had been so distant with Drake to the point of ignoring him when he asked what was wrong. He sat down on his bathroom floor as sticky, thick tears ran down his face, a positive pregnancy test in his hand.

_Merlin had prepared dinner. It wasn’t much, just spaghetti, salad and bread, but easy to keep ready to serve. He had cleaned his little apartment from top to bottom. He had paced. He had texted Gwen. He knew he should probably have told Arthur first but the moment had got the better of him. So he cleaned more, paced more and texted Gwen more as he waited for Arthur to arrive. He was nervous and excited and happy all rolled into one. He knew this wasn’t to plan but he also knew his own mind. He loved Arthur and was sure that Arthur loved him._

_As soon as Arthur had arrived Merlin’s nerves calmed to a simply extra goofy smile on his face. “Hi.”_

_Arthur smiled at him curiously, wondering what had him in such a good mood. “Hi back.” He kissed him and then asked, “What has you so happy?”_

_Merlin kind of twitched and sputtered. “It’s just Friday. You know, end of the week. Dinner’s ready.” He set about quickly setting food on plates and putting them on the table. Arthur watched with amusement and then joined him at the table. They chatted about this and that for a bit before Arthur couldn’t take it anymore._

_“Ok, Merlin, what is up? You are acting as nervous as a rabbit on a hunt,” Arthur queried._

_Merlin bit at his bottom lip. He wanted to wait till they were both sat on the sofa. “Nothing.” He stood up from the table._

_Arthur grabbed him pulling him on to his lap. “You are a rubbish liar.”_

_A myriad of emotions quickly crossed his face. “I had wanted to wait for the right moment.”_

_Arthur kissed him. “No time like the present.”_

_Merlin giggled lightly. “Ok. I know it wasn’t to plan and that the timing isn’t good, in fact it’s really bad, but sometimes things come about..”_

_Arthur growled playfully, cutting him off, “Merlin!”_

_Merlin beamed a smile at him bigger than the sun. “I’m pregnant.”_

_Arthur paused and then blinked a few times before speaking. “What?”_

_Merlin climbed out of Arthur’s lap and began to pace about the kitchen. “I know it’s a shock but..”_

_Arthur cut him off, “What did you say?”_

_“I said I’m pregnant.” Merlin’s voice was excitedly happy._

_Arthur stared at him. “What do you mean you’re pregnant?”_

_Merlin stopped and looked at him, “You know, with child?”_

_Arthur’s voice was suddenly condescending, “I know what it means Merlin. I meant how.”_

_Merlin laughed not registering Arthur’s mood. “Really Arthur, Do you need to ask?”_

_“But we were being careful.” Arthur’s voice sounded desperate as he stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair harshly._

_The smile faded from Merlin’s face. “Well clearly we weren’t careful enough.”_

_Arthur stared at him as anger surged through him. “How could you do this?”_

_Merlin suddenly felt a cold lump settle in his gut. For the first time ever he felt a little afraid of Arthur and the fear showed in his voice. “I didn’t ‘do’ anything.”_

_“Are you sure?” Arthur stared at him._

_Merlin pulled out a rather grainy picture he had planned to show him. “Very.” He held out some hope that the image of “their child” would bring Arthur round._

_Arthur just stared at the picture saying nothing. “Arthur, are you ok?” The question seemed to spur him into action as he finally looked up but didn’t seem to be looking at anything or anyone. “I have to think about this.” With the picture clutched in his hand Arthur walked out the apartment closing the door quietly behind him._

_Merlin just stood there staring at the door for what felt like years trying to understand what just happened. After some unknown period of time he texted Gwen. He didn’t cry until she gave him a hug.”_

Drake stood a few feet from his da’s bathroom door. He knew something was wrong. He had heard the vomiting and what he was certain was crying but his da didn’t answer not that he had spoken loudly. He didn’t want to admit he was scared but he didn’t know what else to do. He sat at the end of the hall directly outside his da’s room and sent Arthur a text.

Two texts, a phone call and 34 minutes later Arthur was on the doorstep. Drake let him in, a desperate look on his face. “Da’s still in his bathroom.”

Arthur pulled the boy into a hug. “It’s ok. I will go up and talk to him. You stay down here and watch TV.”

Drake gave him a hesitant smile. “Ok Dad.”

Arthur made his way up to Merlin’s bedroom. He knocked on the bathroom door. “Merlin?” He heard some shuffling and sniffling but no response. “Merlin, Drake called me because he was scared. open up.” It was just a moment before he heard the click of the lock. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. He was surprised at the sight that greeted him. Merlin was sat on the floor, his eyes red and swollen with tear tracks on his face. His hair stuck up in various places where he had obviously been pulling at it. He looked miserable and scared. Arthur was instantly on his knees on the floor in front of him. “Are you ok?”

Merlin’s voice was raspy, “That depends on what you consider ok?”

Arthur put his hands on Merlin’s knees. Seeing Merlin so distressed sent his heart skittering in his chest. “What’s wrong?”

Merlin choked back a sob. “I..I can’t go through it again.”

Arthur was confused and scared. He could see exactly why Drake had called. “Can’t go through what?”

“This.. them.. you,” Merlin stuttered as he began to cry again.

Arthur just felt even more confused. As he shifted to get more comfortable on the floor he noticed several odd white sticks on the floor with blue plus signs on them. “What are these?”

“If you are going to leave, just do it now.” The look of misery on Merlin’s face was almost too much to bear.

“Oh sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.” He put his hands on Merlin’s face and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears.

“No?” The desperation in that question hit Arthur square in the chest.

“I said I loved you, that I needed you and I meant it.” He pulled Merlin into his arms and held him as he sobbed. After a bit he asked, “So, you’re pregnant? We’re gonna have a baby?”

Merlin just nodded too emotional to speak. Arthur felt both excited and heartbroken at the same time. He kissed each of his closed eyes and the tip of his nose and then his lips. “I think that is the most fantastic thing ever.”

Merlin looked at him with big, wide eyes bloodshot from crying. They were filled with fear and desperation, begged for comfort, assurance. “Yeah?”

“Oh Yes. Yes!” The smile on his face and the happiness in his heart could have rivaled the heavens with their greatness. He let loose the tears he felt as he held Merlin close for a few long moments. It hurt to see how much excruciating sadness he had brought on this beautiful man for something that should be celebrated. Possibly, in a vague way, he began to understand the pain he had caused.

It took a bit but Arthur finally got Merlin off the bathroom floor and into the shower. He really wanted to climb in with him but they weren’t home alone. While Merlin showered Arthur checked on Drake assuring him that everything was ok and that his da wasn’t mad for him calling. Arthur then put Merlin to bed and for first time, openly spent the night. Neither of the boys said a thing.

Merlin, however, was still not certain about Arthur and this carefully balanced life they were leading. His emotions were as up and down as his stomach and he couldn’t get a complete grip on the situation. He had been slowly falling back in love with him, slowly working up to acknowledging to everyone they were together again, He had wanted to take his time, to be in control. This hadn’t been in his plans. He hadn’t pictured himself having any more children, and especially not with Arthur.

Arthur on the other hand was over the moon. If he was honest this wasn’t exactly what he had pictured when he thought of getting back with Merlin. It was better. His first instinct was to run out and shout it to the world but Merlin had insisted they wait. Wait to tell anyone, especially the boys, wait to make any decisions. What he didn’t say was that he wanted to wait to see if Arthur was going to stick around.

Arthur stayed. Arthur was helpful, kind, and supportive. Arthur did what needed to be done, was responsible and took charge. Arthur didn’t tell him what to do, where to go or how to act. Arthur was what he needed, what he wanted. And he both loved and hated him for it because he still waited.  
After a visit to the doctor insuring that all was well and that they had passed the 13th week mark they told Will and Drake. Drake was happy at the thought of being a big brother but Will was unsure. He already had had to share his Dad with a new brother and his other recently discovered Da and now he was going to have to share even more with a new baby. A stinky, smelly poop machine. He didn’t speak to them for a week. When he and Drake were told 3 weeks later that Merlin was pregnant with twins he didn’t talk to them for 3 weeks.

Several things happened at once that turned things a bit sideways. The first two simply happened with the march of time. The start of school, year 8 for the boys and a short time there after Merlin made it to 20 weeks.

Other things were simply side effects of events. Merlin’s employer with the encouragement of his obstetrician put him off regular work and set him as a consultant. He had wanted to argue but had to admit he had gotten rather large all of a sudden and it was getting in the way. This meant more time at home which had been a good thing in the scheme of it all. He had always suspected that Ms. Collins was a bit odd though how he couldn’t say, but she had always done her job well. The house was spotless, she was a good cook and she had looked after Drake and Will when it was needed. So he was rather surprised when a colleague brought him home early one day and he found her in the garage hanging effigies over a boiling pot and chanting strange words while a man he didn’t know watched. He dismissed her immediately, told her she had to be gone by that evening and called Arthur.

Arthur was secretly glad to be rid of the strange woman and made a plan as he drove to Merlin’s.

“Why don’t you move in with me?” Arthur smiled over a cup of tea.

Merlin eyed him carefully. “Arthur.”

“I’m just being practical.” Arthur said as he set the cup down. “All four of us would be together all the time and I have more than enough room.”

Merlin just stared at him for a long moment.

Arthur tried to deflect his gaze by picking up his tea cup. “Ok. I worry about you being here alone. You are getting...”

Merlin cut his off quickly. “You better not say it.”

Arthur let the words a bit big die on his tongue and instead said, “further along.”

“I’ll think about it.” Merlin said in a way that implied the conversation was over.

Arthur tried again two weeks later and two weeks after. It took a kind of a funny incident to change his mind. Taking a bath is supposed to be relaxing, ease aches and pains. He had gotten in easily enough and it did help except that afterward Merlin found he couldn’t get out of the tub. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get enough leverage to pull himself out or move to get on his knees. He tried to think of anyone he could call except Arthur. They were all too embarrassing.  
Arthur showed up in Merlin’s bathroom with an amused look on his face. “Are you ok?”

Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. “Yeah, I just can’t get up.”

“Well that’s not entirely true,” Arthur smirked.

“Not the time Arthur.” Merlin blushed. “It’s not like I can even..”

“I can help,” Arthur offered with a grin on his face. “In more ways than one.”

Merlin gave him a gob smacked look before agreeing, “Yeah, I would like that.”

Arthur put a little bit of shampoo on his hand. “I do have one condition. Move in with me.”

Merlin slapped at his arm, “You’re a right bastard.”

“And you are only six months along and stuck in the tub.” Arthur stated.

Merlin huffed, “Fine but only if you are going to pay my cock the attention it deserves.”

“Always.” Arthur kissed him at the same time he grasped Merlin’s cock pulling a grateful moan from him.

Arthur was positive he had never been happier. Merlin was certain he had never been more scared. Arthur did have a large enough house for all of them. Will was happy to move farther away from his father’s room. It also meant he got to redecorate. Drake was happy to get the room across from Will. The babies would share one of the rooms closest to Merlin and Arthur’s. And there was a small empty room off the entrance hall that would make a great office for Merlin. Ms. Alice was ecstatic over the idea of the new babies. It seemed that all the pieces were falling together.

Before the end of October Merlin was mostly on bed rest and grateful for the attentions of Ms. Alice. From there it seemed that time both speeded up and slowed down. Merlin spent long days reading or watching TV as he waited for others to come home and tell him of their day. Soon the days blended into weeks and they were approaching Christmas. Merlin invited his mother and Tom to come stay. There was plenty of room for them and he was grateful for the company. He was looking forward to this pregnancy being over, to getting back to the real world.

Arthur loved Christmas and for the first time in his life, his house was full of people to celebrate with. He went a bit overboard despite Merlin’s objections, but in the end Merlin was heartened by how happy Arthur was. He had had plenty of time to think over the last few weeks and he was beginning to believe that he could have this. A real life with Arthur. His mother could see it in him and for Christmas gave him possibly the best present he had ever received when she said, “It’s ok to let go and love him.”  
The holidays had left Merlin exhausted but happy. As they approached New Year’s he decided that he was going to commit fully to this new life with Arthur. A new year, a fresh start. Arthur apparently had the same idea.

As the clock neared midnight on New Year’s Eve Arthur got down on one knee, took Merlin’s hands in his, kissed them and asked Merlin to marry him. He didn’t get his answer right then as Merlin’s waters broke pushing it all aside.

Nine hours later Merlin was sat on a delivery chair specifically designed for males to give birth. He was covered only by a hospital gown exposed for all the world to see. In truth he looked a mess, all sweaty and red in face, hair matted in spots and sticking straight up in others. His eyes were bloodshot and it was very clear he was tired. Merlin didn’t care, he was worn out, in pain and ready to be done. He shifted on the delivery chair as he could feel another contraction coming.

“Ok Merlin, push.” Merlin released the breath he had been holding and pushed with a loud groan at the same time he squeezed the hand that he was gripping.

Arthur gritted his teeth at the pressure Merlin was applying to his hand but didn’t say anything. He knew it was nothing compared to pushing two babies out of your body through a small opening. “You’re doing great. It won’t be long now.” He wiped Merlin’s brow with a towel.

“That’s easy for you to say.” he said between breaths.

“I can feel a forehead.” The doctor’s voice was cheerful. Arthur shifted around to look. As Merlin pushed on the next contraction Arthur stood with his mouth hanging open as he watched the baby’s head come completely out. “Merlin, it’s amazing,” he said.

“And now for my next trick.” “One more really big push Merlin.” Merlin grunted loudly and pushed with all his might. The first baby’s shoulders popped out and the rest of her slid into the doctor’s waiting hands. Merlin flopped back on the chair letting go of Arthur’s hand and smiled as he watched.

Arthur had a look of absolute joy on his face as he watched them clear out the baby’s mouth and make sure she was breathing. They offered Arthur the chance to cut the umbilical cord. The doctor handed the baby to a nurse and Arthur turned his attention back to Merlin. He kissed him on the forehead and caressed his face. “You are incredible.”

The doctor cleared her throat. “Gentlemen, we are not done yet.” She put her gloved hand on Merlin’s belly and began to palpitate. She stopped for a moment and then pushed down. Merlin cried out as a hard contraction hit. Not five minutes later Arthur watched again as they cleaned out the second baby’s mouth and offered him to cut the cord. No sooner had they finished was a nurse putting baby one in Merlin’s arms.

“She’s so tiny.” Arthur remarked with awe. “You just keeping thinking that,” Merlin quipped. “I think she looks like me except for the dark hair.” “Yes, she does have your nose and chin.” After a few moments a nurse handed Arthur baby number two. “Hi little one, I think you have your daddy’s ears,” He said as he squeezed down next to Merlin. “They look out of place with the blond hair.” “I think we did good.”

The doctor looked up from where she was still attending Merlin, a big smile on her face. “So have you picked names?”

Merlin said “Zoe” while Arthur said “Amy.”

Epilogue:

A man in a dark suit stood in front of those gathered and called for all to rise.

Drake and Will stood next to each other in matching blue dress shirts with red ties. Each held a baby dressed in a purple dress. “This is all your fault,” Drake whispered.

“What?” Will gave a very confused look.

“You were the one who found that picture,” Drake reminded, still whispering. He shifted the baby in his arms as she tried to play with his face. “Amy, don’t do that.”

“So, you could have ignored me.” Will pointed out.

“Yeah.” Drake said.

“But you didn’t.” Will smirked as the baby in his arms shifted, reaching out for someone she wanted more. “Daaaaa.” “Zoe shhh.” Will tightened his grip to keep her from falling.

Amy wiggled, reached out her arms and made grabby hands at Arthur as soon as she spotted him. Drake had to work hard to keep her still enough not to drop her.

Arthur couldn’t help but smile at the four of them, his children, as he walked past. He was proud of them, proud of the family he had made. It took a lot not to stop and give each of them a kiss. He made his way to stand in front of the man in the dark suit.

Merlin turned a big smile toward the boys and a little wave at the girls as he walked past. His heart couldn’t help but do a flip at the sight of his beautiful children. He turned his attention to the man standing waiting for him, the man in part responsible for all of this. Arthur was dressed in a dark blue suit with a red tie that suited him perfectly. His blond hair shown in the warm sun like a crown and his smile said everything it needed to say.

Arthur stood in the front as he waited for Merlin. He was as handsome as the first day he ever seen him dressed in a warm grey suit with a dark red tie. He couldn’t help but notice the smile he shined on his, no, their children. Today everything was going to be theirs. As Merlin moved to stand in front of him Arthur took his hands, kissed eachone and nodded.

“Beloved family and friends, we are gathered here to celebrate the union of these two men. If any person knows any reason that they should not be so joined, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

Finis.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you find something that needs fixing.


End file.
